Of Crests and Planets
by FortressMaximus
Summary: NEW CHAPTER 12/15/08! 'Final Destiny-New Beginnings' saw Matt & the others free from being DigiDestined! But now, dark nightmares haunt him; will a chance meeting w/a beautiful blue-haired girl named Amy give him the strength to face his greatest fight?
1. Of Crests and Planets-Ch 1-Searching Hea...

**Main author's notes at bottom. But for safety's sake...  
"I don't own Digimon. I don't own any of the other characters that may appear within the confines of this document. I'm not making any money on this; though if you want to randomly send me money out of gratitude, far be it from me to hurt your feelings. Reviews, questions and comments are MORE than welcomed."  
Thanks---F_M  
Of Crests and Planets--Searching Hearts  
  
Unable to sleep for the fourth time in as many nights, the young woman sat in the small alcove at her window, knees pressed to chest as the stars twinkled across the black velvet the clear night let in. Her blue nightgown shimmered in the light from a beautiful crescent moon.   
  
Amelia Mizuno stood quietly in the doorway and watched her blue-haired daughter become lost in the dream world she had taken to inhabiting of late in the quiet early morning hours.   
  
Even though she tried to talk about it with Amy, the young woman wouldn't..or couldn't..explain what had become so important that her sleep had fallen to such secondary importance. Her grades had not dropped, nor had any of her friends mentioned problems the few occasions she had bumped into them about town. But the nightly vigil was beginning to take it's toll on Amy's concentration. On more than one occasion, simple conversations became difficult as Amelia had to repeat herself to catch her daughters' attention.   
  
But even if Amy didn't want to talk about it, Amelia had a clue as to what the problem was; a mothers' intuition was a powerful thing even if unexplainable by modern science.   
  
Amy was lonely; her heart aching for that kind of love that only one special person could give. Not even a mother's love-no matter how powerful or deep-could fill such a void. And that is what frustrated her so much; to be so powerless even knowing the face of the enemy that plagued her daughter's heart.   
  
Easing away quietly, Amelia gently shut the door and walked back to her own room, lost in thought on how to help her daughter.   
  
Sighing softly, Amy cast a sad glance over at the closed door as she hugged her knees closer.   
  
**I'm sorry Mother. I know you want to help, but this is something I have to figure out for myself.**  
  
Looking back out the window and into the night sky, Amy watched the first hints of light ease over the horizon as night slowly gave way to day. Feeling her weariness now as the morning approached, Amy snuggled against the alcove wall and soon was lightly sleeping; her internal search for the missing piece of her heart paused for the moment.   
  
A room away, Amelia slipped back into bed and sighed. Unable to do more for her daughter at the moment, she closed her eyes and for the first time in a long while prayed to whatever powers that be to send her daughter a great love to fill the void in her heart. Finishing, the woman settled down into the covers and drifted off to sleep.   
  
Unseen by the now sleeping Amy, the planet Mercury twinkled brightly in the night sky for a moment before settling back into the sea of velvet it had rested in for so long as the sun began to rise.   
  
  
Miles away, a young man upon a balcony watched the same sunrise, deep in thoughts of his own.   
  
Matt stood alone gazing up into the dimming stars as his shock of blond hair waived lightly in the early morning breeze. As he tucked the tail of his green tank top into the waistband of his blue pants, the voice he had heard while leaving the Digital World for the last time repeated in his mind.   
  
~~Beware young holder of Friendship. The darkness still lurks in the hidden places. Love is the great key you need to lock it away, but it is also the one thing that will guarantee its victory. Be wary, but be trusting my child for in that trust lies your salvation.~~  
  
**How can love be the key and the danger?** he mused, trying to sort out the meaning of the cryptic warning.   
  
**But what kind of love do I have to be careful of? Is it because I care for my brother so much that if something happens to T.K. the Darkness will win? Or is it the kind of love I have for my mom and dad?**  
  
Sighing, he gently slammed his fists on the railing, unable to figure out what it all could mean. Suddenly, a new thought occurred to him...   
  
**Or is it..maybe..the love someone other than them.. has for me?? Na..that can't be it..can it??** he silently asked the fading stars in the azure sky above.   
  
** Is there really someone out there..someone who could love me that much..for me??**  
  
That final question lingered with Matt for hours as he watched the day unfold in quiet splendor.   
  
A day that would change two lives forever......  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
Hello and welcome to the start of 'Of Crests and Planets'. This story will be a continuation of my other work here, 'Final Destiny, New Beginnings' and starts several hours after the DigiDestined has returned from the DigiWorld in 'FD, NB'. 'Of Crests and Planets' is really kinda hard to describe as one kind of story, but it will be a mixture of themes; Romance/Action Adventure/Fantasy/..maybe even a little crossover. But after all is said and done, I am trying for a honest story that will have two of my favorite characters find a powerful love at last..  
A love I think they both truly deserve.   
I hope you consider taking the journey with them.   
  
Thanks for reading and reviewing if you get a chance!   
Enjoy!!  
Fortress_Maximus  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Of Crests and Planets-Ch 2-The Threads o...

Of Crests & Planets--The Threads of Fate  
  
Darkness.   
  
Everywhere.   
  
No matter where he ran, there was no escape. No way to flee from the suffocating ocean of pitch blackness he was in. No hope of rescue or of salvation.  
  
No Hope at all.   
  
~~Surrender boy!~~  
  
**Never! I won't let you win!**  
  
~~Foolish child! I have already won! But you will not keep me from my prize much longer!~~  
  
**I won't let you take me! I'd rather die first!**  
  
~~Who said I was after you boy?!~~  
  
He looked around, stunned by the revelation. All this time he thought it was him. But..if not....?  
  
The darkness shifted and he found himself being lifted until coming face to face with a pair of blood red eyes set in the obsidian wall before him.   
  
~~You can not stop me boy. You can not control me or give me pause. I am the Darkness you have feared all your life given shape and texture and form. Your every breath is mine. I know every hope and dream you possess; and control every nightmare and terror you hold at bay. And I /will/ devour you eventually boy.....~~  
  
He blinked as a giant maw appeared in the wall before him. Massive fangs, coated with drool, approached as his world tilted and he began to fall into the jaws of the creature.   
  
~~Just... like... this.....~~  
  
As he fell into the dark pit, he screamed.  
  
And screamed.   
  
And screamed.   
  
"Matt! Wake up!" came a plea from somewhere in the real world.   
  
Still screaming at the top of his lungs, Matt jerked half-awake and in a fit of self-preservation, grabbed the figure that loomed over him as it tried to devour his soul. With a surge of terror-inspired strength, he slammed the figure against the wall knocking a picture off in the process. The glass and wood frame shattered on impact with the carpeted floor.  
  
"STAY AWAY FROM ME! I WON'T LET YOU WIN! DO YOU HEAR ME!!??"  
  
"Dammit Matt! WAKE UP!"  
  
The sound of a hard 'slap' filled the room as Izzy's hand impacted against Matt's right cheek, stunning the taller of the pair long enough for Izzy to slip out of the shoulder hold and scamper out of reach of the distraught Matt Ishida.   
  
The world slowly came into blurry focus as the pain reached Matt's awareness and forced the young man out of his nightmare and back into reality. Staggering slightly, he slumped into a chair and looked bleary-eyed at his friend.   
  
"Iz..zy..?"  
  
Nodding slowly, Izzy steadied himself as his own heart rate finally started to approach something close to normal and he took a measured step closer to his friend.   
  
"Yes, Matt. Are you okay?" he asked quietly.   
  
Lying through his teeth Matt forced a grin. "I'm fine Izzy. Just a bad dream. That's all." he mummered as he quickly tried to put his emotional shields back into place. Izzy had seen and heard too much as it was already.   
  
"I would call that more than an understatement Matt, but I can't think of a synonym detailed at the moment. Suffice it to say it appeared to be a doozy.."  
  
Matt blinked and looked at Izzy. "Did you just say..'doozy'?"  
  
Shrugging his friend smiled. "So I used a colloquialism . It fits just as well as anything else right?"  
  
Matt laughed softly. "I guess it does.."  
  
"So do you want to.."  
  
"No."  
  
Izzy blinked as Matt's refusal to talk about the nightmare came even faster than anticipated. Still, he wasn't about to give up that easily.   
  
"Matt, I'm your friend. And maybe just as important you shoved me into a wall; which by the way was quite hard considering the composition of the materials used in your apartments' construction. Those two facts, combined with keeping something like this inside won't do any good for your long term health, suggests you talk to someone about it--and since I'm already here...."  
  
Sighing, Matt stood up and walked over to the 'frige. "What part of 'no' didn't you understand Izzy? I don't want to talk about it okay?" Opening the appliance door he looked inside and started to reach for a soda when something a bit stronger grabbed his attention and he withdrew a few seconds later, leaving the soda behind and popping the top on one of his dad's beers.   
  
Raising an eyebrow, Izzy looked at his friend with more than a bit of shock. "I assume your dad is aware of your drinking?"  
  
Taking a sip, Matt swallowed, savoring the taste and nodded to his friend. "As long as I don't drive my motorcycle afterwards or abuse it in general, Dad said he won't challenge me on it. He's not ecstatic over the whole thing, but at least I'm being honest about it instead of sneaking around behind his back. And I gave him my word I never would around T.K. so unless I really screw up he won't fight my decision."  
  
Filing the information, Izzy nodded and decided to not press the issue. As long as T.K. was part of Matt's restrictions he felt comfortable that the elder of the Ishida brothers would be okay. Matt would never do anything to hurt T.K. so the younger brother was in fact protecting Matt even if he didn't know of the situation at present.   
  
A hint of motion pulled Izzy from his thoughts and back towards Matt who sat down beside him.   
  
"Listen..Izzy. I'm sorry about snapping at you before..and I'm really sorry about the whole wall thing. I just..I know you--and the others-- are there if I need you, but right now I want to do this on my own. This nightmare is something I have to face down myself."  
  
Sighing, Izzy expected /that/ argument as well but decided ..for now at any rate..to let Matt do this on his own.   
  
"Okay Matt. This stays between you and me. But on one condition."  
  
Blinking, Matt looked over. "And that would be...?" he asked slowly.   
  
"If this dream, whatever it might happen to entail, gets worse and I hear about it I will be back and I'll bring everyone with me."  
  
Sputtering, he glared at his friend. "You wouldn't dare..."  
  
Izzy smiled back. "Try me.." he said in a tone that almost dared his friend to think otherwise. "And just for something to think about Matt; try telling Kari, Yolei, Sora, and Mimi that you don't want any help despite what you appear to be going through and see what happens."  
  
As Matt's eyes widened to a near impossible degree, Izzy took a small bit of satisfaction at what /that/ mental image was doing to Matt's bluster and let the matter drop.  
  
Shaking off the mental image that popped into his head, Matt sipped the beer and leaned back sighing. "Well, /that's/ a pleasant thought Izzy.." he muttered before looking over. "Did you come by to torment me or was there another reason....wait a second..."  
  
"Humm?"  
  
Matt paused and looked over. "How the heck did you get in here anyway??"  
  
At that Izzy laughed. "I was on my way up the stairs when I ran into your dad on his way back to the station from a late lunch. He let me in and I was about to leave a note for you when you got up but...."  
  
"Oh..yea. Wait..late lunch? It's only around noon, right?"  
  
"Try quarter of three."  
  
Matt blinked once, then twice, as he shot up and grabbed his watch off the coffee table. "Man, how long was I asleep??"  
  
"I would say since you and your dad got back here around seven this morning."  
  
"Seven? But I was just on your balcony..."  
  
"And you fell asleep there Matt. Most everyone left around the same time. Your mom found you when my mom opened the curtains and the last I saw of you was your dad carrying you down the stairs and to the car.."  
  
Blushing as red as a stop sign, Matt glared over at his friend. "I didn't need to hear that thank you!"  
  
Laughing, Izzy shrugged. "Oh well, if you didn't hear it from me you would have eventually seen the photo Kari took."  
  
"Kari took a photo of my dad carrying me to the car??"   
  
Izzy nodded, enjoying this /much/ more than he should for Matt's liking.   
  
Giving up on having any 'coolness' left, Matt sat back down. "Any other wonderful news I should be aware of or do I need to go ahead and book my one way ticket to Alaska to live out the rest of my days?"  
  
The sound of Izzy's laughter filled the room. "Maybe you should hold off on making those preparations Matt; at least until after the movie tonight!" and with a simple flourish he pulled two tickets from his shirt pocket.   
  
Jerking around, Matt looked at Izzy, then at the tickets, then back to the young man.   
  
"You got them?"  
  
"Juuban MetroPlex. Third row, center. The exact spot for optimal acoustical enjoyment; based on a analysis of the all the theaters in the area and their speaker systems. I cross-referenced that versus the brand they use..."  
  
"Never mind that Izzy! Do you know how hard these are to get??"  
  
"As a matter of fact I do."  
  
Nodding, Matt looked at the tickets again. "How much do I owe you?"  
  
Izzy considered the alternatives. "Well. they cost me $20.00 each to get them so you can pay half or..."  
  
Pausing as he started to reach for his wallet, Matt blinked. "Or..?"  
  
"Tell me about the nightmare so I can help."  
  
Matt fished out his wallet and slipped two tens into Izzy's hand without a word.  
  
Resisting the urge to press deeper, Izzy pocketed the money and stood. As he did so, he handed both tickets to Matt prompting a confused look from the still sitting young man.   
  
"Uhm...?"  
  
"That's part of the other reason I stopped by. Yolei called my house a little while ago. Her comp-SCI class's final got moved to tomorrow instead of next Saturday since her professor's getting married."  
  
Wincing in sympathy, Matt nodded. "So she called for some last minute tutoring? Can't say as I blame her. Yolei's good with computers, but I remember the fits that class gave you."  
  
Making a face Izzy nodded. "Please don't remind me. Mr. Matsumoto is a genius but impossible to understand once he gets on theoretical computer applications."  
  
"Didn't you make a 'C' on that part of his...?"  
  
"It was a 'B' thank you very much!" miffed Izzy before he started laughing along with Matt. A few seconds later they composed themselves.   
  
"So the tickets are in case you run late?"  
  
"Exactly. Since the theater is in Juuban I might be running a few minutes behind, but I will be there before the movie starts. But if you have the tickets you can hold my place so there shouldn't be any problems. And in case I can't make it at all, you can at least go ahead."  
  
"In case you can't make it? Izzy, aren't you same guy who said you wouldn't miss this if the world lost it's gravitational factor and you had to get to the theater with lead weights on?"  
  
"Yes, I did. But there isn't a reason to have a contingency plan in place just in case."  
  
"Well...okay. If you insist. Meet you there at eight?"  
  
Grabbing the laptop he left by the door, Izzy nodded in agreement. "I'll be there by 8:30 at the latest. Don't sell my ticket.." he warned jokingly as the door opened.   
  
"Don't tempt me. Oh..Izzy..?"  
  
Halfway out the door he turned back. "Yea?"  
  
"Thanks for..you know..being concerned."  
  
Blinking, Izzy smiled softly and nodded. "Not a problem Matt. What are friends for? I'll see you later."  
  
Tossing a hand up, Matt smiled as Izzy waved back and was gone, the door slowly creaking back into place. Walking over he locked it and set his drink down on a coaster, making sure to not get the tickets wet. Stretching, he made his way to the bathroom to take care of business but paused as a note on his bedroom door caught his attention.   
  
'Son--I'm going to work and don't expect to be home until very late. Gabumon asked me to drop him at the abandoned lot just up the road; something about it being a good meeting place for the Digimon since it was so overgrown and not being developed yet. He says don't wait up for him since they might camp out. I left a few free pizza coupons on the table for dinner. Will see you tonight.--Dad'  
  
  
Smiling, took the note down and went into the bathroom, setting the paper on the counter as he reached for his toothpaste and brush. Doing all the basics for good tooth care, Matt brushed for a few moments and leaned over to spit.   
  
Finishing, he looked up into the mirror and his heart stopped.   
  
The Face was behind him.   
  
~~I told you I would devour you boy! And I shall when you least expect it!~~ snarled the voice from his nightmare, the threat echoing in his mind as the vision bore down upon him, trying to swallow him whole.  
  
"NO! NOOOO!"   
  
Shivering, Matt clutched his arms around his chest, eyes closed in mortal terror, as he awaited the moment when he would finally be consumed by the darkness.   
  
It never came.   
  
After a few moments of nothing, Matt slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the empty bathroom. There was no sign of any presence other than himself; and as Matt slowly began to realize that perhaps there never was.   
  
Shaking slightly, he grabbed the sides of the countertop to steady himself and fixated his gaze on his reflection in the mirror.   
  
"Am I going crazy?" he whispered to his opposite image, but the duplicate held no answers.   
  
Deep inside Matt, the Darkness simply smiled.   
  
  
Although small in terms of sheer acreage, Juuban Community College boasted an impressive number of students. Like most two year institutions, JCC was designed to help both the student needing more time to prepare for the work load that four year institutions required and assisted in letting the student body get their core classes out of the way so upon transferring they could focus on whatever major they selected.   
  
But, unlike most other colleges of its level, JCC invited retired professors from around the world to teach in the attempt to provide its students with a more diverse learning base.   
  
And right now, one of those visiting professors sat at his desk and wondered what to do about a rather..unique..student he possessed at this point in time.   
  
Lethbridge-Stewert stood and out of habit forced by more than 50 years serving in Her Majesty's service, tugged at the crisp white shirt to remove even the slightest wrinkle. Straightening his tie and slipping on the brown-checked sport jacket that had been resting on the back of his chair, the almost 75 year old former commander of a United Nations Intelligence Taskforce and current 'A' level math teacher, walked over the tile floor then up the carpeted steps to the top right corner of the auditorium that served as his lecture hall. His wrinkled face was neutral as he ascended the steps, brown eyes focused on his target. Running a hand to fix any potential loose threads of his snow white hair, the elder gentleman assumed a slightly authoritative tone not used for many years.   
  
"Miss Mizuno..?"  
  
There was no reply from the blue haired young woman as she slept quietly, her head resting on the desk.   
  
Sighing, Lethbridge-Stewert deepened his voice and decided to get back to basics.   
  
"Miss Mizuno! Ten-Hut!"  
  
The sharp command, tinted by the heavy British accent, was enough to permeate the haze of sleep that surrounded Amy Mizuno's mind and the young woman jerked awake. In the process her papers scattered to the floor.   
  
The young woman looked around, and even in the latter stages of waking, her instincts told her something was wrong. A quick glance at the now empty lecture hall confirmed those instincts; not to mention the clock on the wall showing the time to be MUCH later than she remembered it last saying.   
  
"Did you have a nice nap, Miss Mizuno?"  
  
Paling to a degree Lethbridge-Stewert would have thought would have been a symptom of massive blood loss, Amy looked at her professor with a face that shouted she was looking for a nice large rock to crawl under.   
  
"I'm sorry Sir! I won't let it happen again! I promise!" she quickly shouted, much louder than planned. Embarrassed by her stupid mistake, Amy silently cursed herself as she leaned over and tried to gather her papers while avoiding eye contact with her professor.   
  
Hesitantly at first, he put a reassuring hand on Amy's shoulder, shocking the young woman back to an upright position.   
  
"Normally I would take someone to task over this kind of behavior Miss Mizuno, but perhaps if I knew /why/ you found my class so unchallenging then I could be persuaded to overlook it this time.."  
  
Wincing slightly, Amy shook her head. "It's nothing you've done Sir. I just..dozed off. I won't let it happen again." she said firmly.   
  
Noting how she somewhat sidestepped the request rather well, Lethbridge-Stewert tried a different route.  
  
"Miss Mizuno..may I call you Amy?"  
Blinking, Amy nodded as it was the first time she could recall him calling any of his students by their first name.  
  
"Amy..what are you doing here?"  
  
Pausing, she began to speak but was cut off.   
  
"And by 'here' I mean this institution. I've read your file. You are one of the brightest students I have ever seen; never before have I saw such commendations from your previous teachers and principals."  
  
Blushing, Amy nodded. "Thank you Sir. But..why I am here is something of a rather long story and I wouldn't want to..."  
  
"While I appreciate the offer, if that reason is what is causing you to fall asleep in my class then I believe I should take the time to find out what it is. Don't you agree?"  
  
Wincing internally at the tone, Amy nodded knowing that further discussion could not be avoided now.   
Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, the young woman exhaled slightly and began to explain. "After I graduated from high school Sir, I was given the choice of scholarships to several medical colleges both here at home and overseas."  
  
"So you want to be a doctor?"  
  
"I do Sir. Ever since I was nine that's all I've ever wanted to be."  
  
"That's very young to be so sure of something that important."  
  
Smiling, Amy shook her head. "Actually Sir, looking back I wonder what took me so long to decided in the first place."  
  
Nodding, he repressed a grin. "I see. So you received all of these scholarships, but...?"  
  
"The problem was each place offered one advantage over the other. Each school was very proficient in a certain area that I wanted to learn, but if I chose any one school then I would have disadvantaged myself in my studies."  
  
"Ah, I'm beginning to see the problem. But why a community college?"  
  
"Well Sir, I talked to the admissions officers at some of the schools and most of them are implementing programs in the next one to two years that will be more like the ones at other schools.."  
  
"And then you'll have a better idea of who can offer you the most for your education?"  
  
"Exactly Sir. I can meet all my basic requirements here, and when I transfer I can take all the courses I need to get my medical degree. I've been told that my scholarships will still be valid so if I can wait for the better assortment of classes why not do so?"  
  
"Well, that explains the 'why', but not the reason you fell asleep. Unless..." Lethbridge-Stewert paused and glanced down at a few of the papers and blinked at the sheer completeness of the assignments. Even with a casual look he could tell that several of the problems were worked out to steps the class wouldn't be covering for weeks; perhaps months.  
  
"Your bored." came the sudden observation.  
  
Sighing, Amy nodded ever-so slightly. "I'm sorry Sir. I try to make it interesting, but.." she trailed off, not sure what else to say that wouldn't offend her teacher.   
  
"I see. How far ahead are you with the 'in-book' assignments from my syllabus?"  
  
Amy paused and looked away. "Only a little Sir."  
  
"How much is 'only a little..'? "  
  
"I'm..done."  
  
At that moment you could have knocked Lethbridge-Stewert over with a feather. "Done?" he ask incredulously.   
  
Sheepishly, Amy nodded  
  
Digesting this bit of information, he nodded. "And since the work is not challenging enough, you find yourself falling asleep because of whatever is keeping you from sleeping at night. Am I correct?"  
  
Amy didn't reply. That was more of a statement than an question anyway.   
  
Weighing if he should press further, Lethbridge-Stewert smiled to himself and asked when /didn't/ he press an issue. "Well, have you considered going to a doctor?"  
  
Amy shook her head. "No Sir. I know there's nothing medically wrong. I'm just not sleeping. Besides, if I do need some medical advice, my mother is a doctor and I know several others."  
  
Smiling wistfully, he nodded. "As do I. Splendid fellows..all of him..."  
  
Blinking, Amy looked at her teacher as the syntax of that statement didn't sound quite right. "Sir?"  
Eyebrows arching at realizing the fact that he reminisced a bit louder than he planned. "Nothing Miss Mizuno. Suffice it to say that I better understand what you're going through now..." pausing for a moment, he gathered his thoughts. Nodding as one in particular seemed to make perfect sense, he turned his full gaze on his student "..but since I can't have you dozing off from being bored, the only thing to do is to make sure you stay challenged."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Amy steadied herself for whatever was to come next.   
  
"Starting on Monday Miss Mizuno, you will be my student assistant. You will grade half of the homework assignments for me every night, not to mention helping create lesson plans. Of course, since you've completed most of the requirements for my syllabus I will search for an alternative textbook for you to use for your personal homework. I believe Ms. Elizabeth Shaw has written a good text on theoretical mathematics which may be closer to your level. Will that prove enough of a challenge?"  
  
Sitting there in shock, Amy slowly started to smile. "Yes Sir. Thank you!" as she, in a momentary lack of protocol, stood and gave her teacher a grateful hug before pulling away blushing.   
  
Chuckling softly, he pulled back actually tinted ever so slightly. "Ah..well..by the clock I see it's nearly sixteen-thirty. I'm sure that it being a Friday night you have plans you will want to attend to?"  
  
At that, Amy looked down. "Not really Sir. I was going to go to the library and work on my English paper that's due in a few months but other than that..."  
  
Blinking, Lethbridge-Stewert considered this for a moment then smiled. "Oh? They why does it appear that young lady with the strange looking hairstyle has been trying to get your attention for the past several minutes by jumping up and down outside the lower window?"  
  
As a pair, both teacher and student turned and looked directly at the blond haired young woman in the pink top and white shorts.  
  
Lethbridge-Stewert simply nodded a neutral 'hello'.   
  
Amy fixated her best friend with a glare that could met ice at 20 paces.   
  
Blinking and feeling very, very sheepish, Serena waved a little wave and faster than most would have thought possible disappeared from the window leaving an amused professor and embarrassed Amy.   
  
"I take it she's a friend?"  
  
"On most days Sir yes. Days like this I am still debating on that subject."  
  
Standing, he nodded and walked back down to his desk. "I have had days, and friends, such as that Miss Muzino. I think you will find the good outweighs the bad."  
  
Smiling, Amy gathered her belongings and walked over to the door and had just opened it before her teacher's voice caught her attention one last time.   
  
"I hope you have a good weekend Miss Mizuno and that you are..well rested..for Monday."  
  
Nodding at the not-so-slightly subtle hint, Amy smiled. "I will Sir. Thank you!" and with a polite wave she left the lecture hall and slipped into the bright evening sunshine leaving a smiling Lethbridge-Stewert to gather his own belongings.   
  
Putting everything in place, he closed his briefcase and locked it and ascended back up the steps and across the faculty parking lot to his car. Pausing at a corner, he stared at a telephone booth for a long moment as another wistful smile eased across his lips. As the final car passed, the elder gentleman broke out of his reprieve and walked to his car for the drive home.   
  
Her sky blue dress fluttering in the wind, Amy gently scampered across the road that separated the campus from the surrounding homes and began the walk home when an all-too familiar shadow fell over her.   
  
"Uhm..am I dead Amy?"  
  
Grinning ever so slightly the young woman glanced over her shoulder. "Not this time Serena, but please don't do that again. It was somewhat embarrassing to have a well-respected teacher see my best friend jumping up and down like..."  
  
"Like someone who just got tickets to the hottest movie in town?" Serena suggested as a possible answer, grinning evilly as she did so.   
  
Stumbling slightly, Amy looked over at her friend with eyes wide. "You..got them??.."   
  
"Yep! Andrew sent them to my house and they arrived today when I was home for lunch!"  
  
Amy was torn between remaining composed or jumping for joy (in a dignified manner of course) and simply settled for giving Serena a hug. "That's great Serena! How much do I owe you?"  
  
"That's the best part Ames!" giggled the younger woman as she used Amy's old nickname. "They were free!"  
  
"Free? But they were going for almost twenty dollars apiece!"  
  
"That's right, but Andrew said that since I had put so many quarters into his old arcade that I should get some return on my investment.."  
  
Laughing softly, Amy nodded. "Well, I'm not sure what to say but thanks! What time is it for?"  
  
Pausing, Serena mentally scanned the tickets. "I think it was for the nine o'clock show."  
  
Amy sighed. "I was hoping for an earlier show but still..."  
  
"Why not Amy? This way we'll have a nice night and by the time you get home you'll be nice and tired so you can get some sleep finally and..."   
  
Serena's voice trailed off as Amy's soft gaze turned a bit harder.  
  
Sighing, Amy looked at her friend. "How did you know Serena..?"  
  
Kicking herself mentally for doing the exact thing she didn't want to do, Serena shrugged and looked at her friend sheepishly. "Uhm..a little cat told me?"  
  
Resisting the urge to sigh louder, Amy gave up ever trying to keep any secrets. "Which one...?" she tiredly asked.  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
Shaking her head, Amy sat down on a bus stop bench. "Not really. I guess I should ask 'how' they found out though."  
  
"Kinda hard to miss at four in the morning when your sitting at the window looking like you've lost your best friend."  
  
"So now I suppose your going to ask me if I want to talk about it, and how you can help right?"  
  
Placing her hand on her hips, Serena's face took on a /rare/ sign of annoyance. "Nope. I figured you'd come to me or Rei or someone when your ready to talk."  
  
Feeling like a total heel, Amy looked up at her friend. "I'm sorry Serena. I should have told you but..."  
  
"It's something you would like to work out on your own, right?"  
  
Blinking at the sudden insight Serena found, Amy simply nodded. "If I could.."  
  
Serena nodded and Amy suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a powerful hug and eventually felt a lot better about the whole conversation.   
  
"When you're ready to talk Amy, we'll all be there. No matter what."  
  
Smiling, Amy nodded. "Thanks Serena."  
  
Grinning, the blond nodded just as her watch alarm went off startling both young ladies.   
  
"Important study session?" ventured Amy.  
  
"Nope. Lasagna night! Don't wanna be late! Hey..why don't you come over and we'll go together to the theater?"  
  
Shaking her head, Amy laughed. "I wish I could Serena but I need to do a few things before we hit the theater. See you there about eight thirty?"  
  
"You got it Amy! See you then!" and with another quick hug the blond was off down the street, her two long ponytails whipping in the wind as she turned a corner and disappeared from sight.   
  
Slowly the smile faded as Amy started her walk home again, her mind running through random thoughts as the shadows began to get longer as day slowly transformed into evening.   
  
**Things to do like take a nap or I'll be out like a light halfway through the movie. At least the professor wasn't too upset with me at dozing off in his class. And he gave me that great assistant position so that should help keep me occupied.**  
  
**Occupied enough to not think about what's really bothering you humm?**  
  
Amy frowned as that little voice of her conscience piped up again, much like it had been doing over the past several days.   
  
**I'm just...**  
  
**Lonely?**  
  
**BORED.** Amy mentally shot back.   
  
Choosing to not respond, Amy's inner voice was quiet the rest of the walk home as it's point had been made.   
  
Finally reaching her house, Amy made her way inside and locked the door. Pausing, she debated between getting a light snack or just going straight to the couch for the nap. Deciding she could always eat later, Amy gently sat her stuff down in a corner and set the alarm on her own watch for seven o'clock.   
  
Within a few minutes was out like a light dreaming of a nice, quite /normal/ evening with her friend.   
  
Fate, however, had other plans for Miss Amy Mizuno and Mr. Matt Ishida.  
  
As both would all-too-soon find out.   
  
(To be continued...)  
Authors Notes:  
1) Yes, the Brigadier is who your thinking it is. For those of you who don't know, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewert is from the incredible British Sci-FI show Doctor Who. In one of his last appearances in the show, the Brig was a math professor at a private university (episode Maudwryn Undead from Peter Davidson's era as the Doctor) and it seemed that he could easily been a touring professor so I though I would use him here. His joke 'Splendid fellows..all of him..' was a joke about his knowing the Doctor through several incarnations as his stint as Brigadier.   
2) 'The Movie' is just that..'The Movie'. I haven't decided what it will be but when I do I might run a contest to see who can guess what popular Japanese or American (or both!) animated show I'm referring too. The first person who says so in their review could win a short story done by me based on any of their favorite characters or situations. Keep an eye open for possible hints!  
3) One favor if I could ask? IF you've figured out already who Amy is, please don't say in your review if you leave one. I want it to be as much a surprise as possible. THANKS!! F_M  
  
  



	3. Of Crests and Planets-Ch 3-The Best Laid...

Authors warnings:  
  
Hello everyone! There's light cussing and more than slightly implied intimacy (but nothing graphic). Still PG-13 so don't worry. I hope you enjoy it!  
  
  
Of Crest and Planets-The Best Laid Plans  
  
  
As evening slowly blended into night, the yellow passing lines on the highway blurred into a never-ending stream of color as the motorcycle easily sped through the Friday night traffic.   
  
A few irritated motorists decided to make their displeasure known by honking, but Matt paid them no mind as his mind focused on the unfamiliar road before him and not on the pissed off drivers or the chilling images from the experience a few hours earlier in his bathroom.  
  
Flicking on a quick turn signal, the motorcycle banked right and took the necessary exit to lead towards the district of Juuban as the cooling nip of night air began to seep through the denim jacket Matt wore over his hunter green sweater and khaki slacks.   
  
Pulling off to a fairly empty parking lot, Matt eased the motorcycle into a spot and let the engine settle to a slow idle as he reached into his pocket and removed the small map and instructions to the theater he downloaded from the Internet.   
  
"Okay..I took a left on Barnes Road, then that right on Noble Avenue." he mummered to himself as he checked his watch against the progress made so far. "Not too bad Ishida. It's only 7:30 and you're almost there. Let's see.." pausing again he glanced up at a nearby street sign and nodded. "I'm at the corner of Miller and Frank, so I should be about three, maybe four blocks away."  
  
Double-checking his watch, Matt put the map back into his jacket, patting the pocket to make sure both tickets were still there. Relieved they were still present, the young man revved the engine and checked his gauges out of habit, not even seeing the blue haired young woman walk by lost in thoughts of her own.   
  
Pulling out, Matt darted back out into traffic and rounded the corner onto Prime Avenue and disappeared as he swerved around a red and blue tractor trailer and out of sight.  
  
Slowing down as the traffic started to become denser, Matt smiled and idly if Yolei and Izzy were making progress with the tutoring session. Knowing those two there were fighting over some advanced theory that could never be proven to exist let alone be proven correctly.   
  
*To each their own I guess..** he mused as the theater parking lot came into view and he pulled in, actually found a spot off to one side where his bike wouldn't get dinged by car doors.   
  
Setting the parking brake and the gear lock, Matt secured both his helmet and the spare he always carried and stretched a little before making his way across the lot and into the theater.   
  
About 15 minutes, later a blue haired young woman in a cobalt blue dress and a sky blue and white swirled wind breaker gently darted across the street and up into the parking lot. Catching her breath, she relaxed for but a moment before heading inside to wait for her friend with the tickets.   
  
  
From the darkness of Izzy's room, his last coherent thought was that he was forgetting something very /very/ important but due to the sight before him he simply could not remember what it was.   
  
A few minutes later he simply didn't care either.   
  
"Mom..Dad?" Serena ventured softly, trying to break the oppressive silence that seemed to hang in the air of the kitchen; a weight that seemed to only increase when her dad came home from work early. He was /never/ home before six.  
  
Blinking, Mrs. Tsukino looked over and smiled softly. "Yes Serena?"  
  
Noticing her dad didn't quite make eye contact with her, Serena felt a cold chill run down the length of her spine. Something hadn't been right ever since she got home and 'it', whatever 'it' was, only got worse as the night progressed. She had to leave to meet Amy, but not until after finding out what was wrong.   
  
"Are you and dad okay? Is..is there something you need to tell me?" she whispered, the young woman's mind filled with all sorts of imagined horrors but were none worse than what she could almost guess was the problem; her parents were getting a divorce.   
  
Sighing softly, Mr. Tsukino looked over at his daughter and was, not for the first time, was truly amazed at how beautiful she had become seemingly overnight. But the hardest part was admitting she was 18 now and capable of making decisions that could change her life and there was nothing he or his wife could do to legally stop her. But..still..they had to find out /why/ if nothing else...  
  
"Serena, it's not that anything is wrong with us ..but..we.." trailing off, he looked at his wife to finish.  
  
"Sweetie..is there anything /you/ want..or need..to tell us..? You know you can come to us about anything Serena and we will still love you.."  
  
Serena blinked, getting a terrible feeling of unease in the pit of her belly. "T..tell you? No..of course no momma. Why would you think that...?"  
  
Sighing, her mom stood and walked over to the 'junk' drawer and opened it hesitantly after a moment. Reaching in, she pulled out a small black box and turned around to let her daughter see the object.   
  
Serena's eyes widened in shock, then fear, then the anger set in. "Where did you find that Mom?? Did you....?" Her voice broke as she realized what must have happened. "You went through my stuff!?"  
  
Mrs. Tsukino looked on, both hurt at the accusation and shocked her daughter would say such a thing. But in all honestly she expected such a reaction based on first impressions.   
  
"Of course not Serena!" said her dad, though a bit louder than he wanted to. "We have never..and would never..go through your things! But you mom was just putting up laundry while ago and when the drawer wouldn't close she pulled it out to realign it. That's when...."  
  
Serena looked at the ground, ashamed at accusing her mom of all people of violating her privacy. Eyes starting to tear, she felt her dad's strong arms surround her as if trying to somehow make this easier.   
  
"I'm sorry mama. I wanted to tell you and dad but..I wasn't sure..how..or when...or..." her voice trailed off, unsure what to say next.   
  
"Serena...?"  
  
Slowly, she looked up at her dad.   
  
"Sweetie...I want you to be honest with me..okay?""  
  
Serena nodded, tears streaming down her cheek.  
  
"Are you pregnant?"  
  
Trying to keep from falling out of the chair, Serena realized that finding..well, what her mom found..would lead any parent to the same conclusion.   
  
Why else would an 18 year old woman get an engagement ring?  
  
Her hands clenched to keep from shaking, Serena shook her head. "No poppa. We..we're waiting until after being married to be..together...."  
  
Silently, both parents sighed in relief and then clutched their daughter in a powerful hug.   
  
"Do you love him Serena?"  
  
"With all my heart Mom. I can't imagine my life without him in it."  
  
"Serena, why didn't you tell us before now?"  
  
"I'm sorry Daddy, but we wanted to, but it never felt like the right time. "  
  
"Didn't you trust us Serena?"  
  
Wincing, the young woman looked at her dad, his statement cutting her to the core. "I wanted to, but I just couldn't..not yet. I don't know why but it didn't feel like the right time. I'm sorry momma! Please don't hate me..please??"  
  
Her heart broke at Serena's plea. "Oh sweetie! We could never hate you. We love you so much!" and with that both parents held their daughter in another powerful embrace until her tears began to subside.   
  
"Do.." Serena's soft voice broke the silence.."Do you..want to talk to him...?"  
  
Feeling a wave of relief wash over them, her parents looked at each other for a long moment, then nodded to their daughter.   
  
"Please Serena.." asked her dad. "I would like to meet the special young man who captured my daughter's heart.."  
  
Her mom smiled in agreement as she brushed some stray strands of hair from her daughters' eyes.   
  
Nodding, Serena shakily stood up and made her way to the cordless phone before quietly taking the handset into the living room for a little privacy. Quickly she dialed the number she knew by heart. After a few rings it was finally picked up.  
  
"Hello?" came the strong but caring male voice on the other end.   
  
"D..Darien?"  
  
Darien Chiba blinked. "Serena?? What's wrong..??" Almost immediately his protective instincts kicked in; for her to call sounding like this something must be horribly wrong.   
  
"Darien..it's mom and dad."  
  
"Are they okay?"  
  
"They know Darrian...they know.."  
  
He paled. "Oh...Serena..I see. Can I ask...?"  
  
"Mom found the ring. Darien, they..they would like to see you tonight.."  
  
Realizing their time of secrecy was up, the 25 year old man nodded to himself as he came to the only respectable conclusion. "I'll be right there Serena..."  
  
"Thank you Darien...."  
  
"And Serena? I love you.."  
  
"I love you too ...always..." and with that she hung up the phone, totally forgetting about her friend and the pair of movie tickets laying on her dresser upstairs. Some might have called such an action irresponsible, but considering the circumstances it /was/ perfectly understandable.   
  
"Come on Izzy. Where are you??" Matt half-growled to himself as the crowd was starting to get beyond 'packed'. Already having tickets insured him of getting good seats but if Izzy didn't get here soon, he would never be able to find Matt in the mass of people.   
  
At almost ten minutes till nine Matt's worry about Izzy's missing the movie changed to worry for his friend's safety as Izzy had never, in all the years they had known each other, been late without at least getting a message to the group.   
  
Ignoring the pang of unease creeping down his spine, Matt excused himself from line and made his way over to a small phone booth set unobtrusively in a corner of the theater lobby. Shutting the door to drown out as much noise as possible, Matt dropped the change and dialed Izzy's number.   
  
Then promptly slammed the receiver, got his change from the slot and pulled out his calling card as it was, of course, long distance.   
  
Swiping the card, Matt dialed again and waited for someone to pick up.   
  
A soft flashing light on his now ringer-less phone pulled Izzy's attention from his current thoughts and back to reality as the fog of what happened started to lift and his brain began firing on all neurons again.   
  
Easing out of bed and tossing on a pair of boxers, Izzy quietly made his way through the apartment to the kitchen, glad once more his parents had taken one of their 'romantic' weekends on the spur of the moment.   
  
What had happened was going to be hard enough to figure out without adding them to the equation.   
  
Reaching the kitchen, Izzy took the phone off the hook and leaned against a wall as he ignored turning on the light since he didn't feel like blinding himself; well that among other reasons.   
  
"Hello?" he asked softly.  
  
"Izzy?? It's Matt! Are you okay??"  
"Matt?"  
  
"Yea..Izzy..is something wrong? You were supposed to be here nearly an hour ago. The movie is getting ready to start!"  
  
"Oh..SHIT! The movie!" the young man cussed -a bit louder than he wanted- as his voice spliced through the quiet of the not-quite-empty apartment.   
  
**I knew I was forgetting something!** Izzy berated himself, feeling like an idiot.   
  
Matt blinked. **Izzy just cussed. This is not good...**  
  
Slowly, bare feet met soft carpet and the silent figure made its way towards the kitchen and the unsuspecting young man within.  
  
Sighing, Izzy opened the refrigerator and knelt down, rummaging for a snack as his mind feverishly tried to find a reason that wouldn't be a lie for him not making it to the theater. But he sure couldn't tell anyone the truth either. At least not yet. "I'm sorry Matt. Something....popped up... and I had to take care of it. I'm sorry I caused you to worry."  
Izzy grimaced at how terrible of a mental pun that was, but at least only he had to endure it in the context of his situation.  
  
Blinking at the polite yet totally uninformative reply, Matt ignored the people filling past the phone booth and gathered his thoughts. "Izzy, is something wrong in the Digital World? Do you need me to call the others?"  
  
**I wish it was that simple Matt, I really do** Izzy mused as he saw a few cold cuts and started to reach for them. "It's..nothing you need to be worried about Matt. Just enjoy the movie. If you want to sell my ticket to help compensate for the cost of gas you used please feel free to do so."  
  
Blinking, Matt looked at the handset as if it had just tried to eat him. Hesitantly he brought the receiver back to his ear. "Uhm, okay Izzy. If that's what you want. ..."  
  
Sighing in relief as he felt the conversation near a close, Izzy started to relax slightly. "Thanks Matt, I'll call you tom..."  
  
"Izzy..are you okay? I woke up and you were gone."  
  
The soft voice startled Izzy to the point of dropping the receiver as if it had suddenly became too hot to handle. Panicking, he grabbed the phone just in time to keep it from banging against the wall but the shadow that fell over him gave no time to hang up the handset.   
  
Leaving the phone dangling, Izzy straightened and put himself between the phone and his guest as he was grateful to the powers above that there wasn't enough light from the 'frige to do more than cast Izzy in a soft glow.   
  
"Y..Yolei?" he stammered. "W..what are you doing out of bed?? I hope I didn't wake you..."  
  
**YOLEI?? In...BED?? with...IZZY??** Matt blinked once. Then twice. Then, he simply stared in disbelief at what he was hearing as morbid fascination overrode the more correct response of hanging up the phone.   
  
"You didn't Izzy." softly reassured Yolei as the young woman wrapped her arms around her lover and kissed his cheek gently. "I turned over and you were gone, and I was scared.. that maybe..maybe..you had.." her voice trailed off, unable or unwilling to express the dark thoughts she had upon waking and seeing Izzy's spot on the bed empty.   
  
His heart broke. Izzy could well guess what Yolei was thinking; that maybe he had regrets over what had happened, that maybe he had even left the apartment all together leaving her alone to deal with the confused feelings their lovemaking created. Unable to resist seeing that look of deep hurt in her eyes, Izzy wrapped his arms around her form and held her tightly.   
  
"I just needed a snack Yolei." he said, grinning sheepishly. "And I want to talk about...what happened because we /need/ too. I wouldn't..couldn't..leave you to deal with this by yourself. I'd rather turn in my Digivice before doing that to you.." Izzy had no idea where the words were coming from, but they felt /right/ nonetheless. Romantic feelings and the associated thoughts had never been Izzy's strong point, but after what happened he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt this was the time to express what he felt in his heart.   
  
Even if Izzy was no longer 'DigiDestined' in practice-as Yolei had found out earlier in the evening- the willingness to give up his Digivice for her feelings made her heart soar with relief.   
  
Eyes tearing, Yolei hugged Izzy as tight as she could before kissing him very deeply on the lips.   
  
The stunned Matt listened as the silence almost took a life of its on.   
  
Finally pulling away, Yolei felt herself turning crimson. "Izzy..I..I need to get up early for my final. Can we talk..maybe a little..in the morning before I leave?"  
  
He nodded, grateful that she wanted to talk apparently as bad as he did. "I would like that Yolei."   
  
Smiling, she gave him a quick hug. "Then come back to bed when your done with your snack. I think I'll fall asleep faster if your there."  
  
Smiling, he nodded again and gently broke the physical connection between them and watched her gently slip out down the hall and back to his bedroom.   
  
Taking a moment to compose himself, Izzy turned and closed the refrigerator door not trusting his stomach at the moment with food. As the door shut, the last glimmer of light showed the phone still dangling off the hook and Izzy took a deep breath and picked up the receiver.   
  
"Uhm..Matt?"  
  
Debating for a long moment to answer or now, Matt finally found his voice. "Yea Izzy..?"  
  
"Did you hear...?"  
  
"I did Izzy. I know I should have hung up..."  
  
"It's okay Matt. I understand.."  
  
There was a long pause as silence filled the line until Matt finally couldn't take it anymore.   
  
"So...you and Yolei huh?"  
  
Izzy grinned slightly. "So it would seem."  
  
"I never would have guessed."  
  
"That makes two of us Matt."  
  
"Are you..uhm...?"  
  
"Okay?" Izzy suggested.  
  
"That'll work."  
  
"I honestly don't know Matt, but we both want to talk about what happened and that's a good sign. Well I think it is at any rate.."  
  
"Heya Izzy?"  
  
"Yea Matt?"  
  
"I think it is."  
  
Another long silence filled the line until it was Izzy's turn to break the quiet. "You know Matt?"  
  
Matt could almost hear the smile in Izzy's voice.   
  
"I think it is too."  
  
"So..what now?"  
  
"Well, I go back to bed and you can go to the movie, which by by calculations will be starting right..about..now.."  
  
Blinking, Matt turned to see the nearly empty theater lobby and judging by the clock on the wall Izzy was right; the coming attractions had just started.   
  
"Listen Izzy..I gotta go."  
  
"I thought as much Matt. Oh..and Matt?"  
  
"Humm?"  
  
"Thanks for..understanding."  
  
"Not a problem Izzy. See ya.."  
  
"Bye."  
  
A soft click of the receiver ended the conversation as Matt stood for a moment collecting his thoughts. Izzy and Yolei were a combination he would have never expected; but somehow it seemed right. And he was honored that Izzy didn't feel he needed to ask Matt to not tell anyone of this..happening. The bond between them as friends was strong enough that some things simply didn't need to be said to be understood.   
  
Sliding open the door, Matt slipped out and made his way across the lobby to go inside the screening room to enjoy the movie and let Izzy's situation set on his mental back burner until his friend needed..or wanted..to talk about it.   
  
Lost in thought as he was, Matt rounded a corner near the other phone booth and started to reach for the door.  
  
He never saw it coming.  
  
Several minutes earlier as Izzy's reasons for being late were becoming all-too-clear to Matt, across the lobby Amy was finding out a shocking revelation or two of her own.   
  
"He did what??" she almost shouted, only just catching herself as she made sure the door to the phone booth was fully closed.   
  
"He proposed last weekend Amy, and I accepted." replied Serena softly so as to not bother the important conversation going on in the next room between her parents and the recently arrived Darien Chiba.   
  
Shocked beyond words, Amy couldn't even begin to formulate another question so Serena took advantage of the silence.  
  
"I know I should have told you and Rei and the others Amy, but I just..I wanted this to be just for me..just for a little while. My own special secret."  
  
'I think I understand Serena. But how well are your parents dealing with this?"  
  
Looking back at the living room and the quiet but open discussion going on, Serena shook her head slightly. "Dad hasn't gone atomic yet but the night's still young. Uhm..Amy..speaking of tonight..."  
  
Knowing where Serena was headed, Amy forwent proper manners for a moment and cut her friend off. "I understand perfectly Serena. I called because I was worried that something might have happened to you, not because I was upset about the movie."  
  
A soft sigh of relief filled the ear piece as Serene knew that Amy wouldn't be so mad about something as trivial as a movie. Rather it was her lack of anger at not being told of the recent engagement that caused Serena to breath a little easier.   
  
"Thanks Ames. Listen, I'll make it up to you I promise."  
  
Amy shook her head slightly. "Serena, it's /okay/. If you want to make it up to me, just be happy and enjoy it as best you can. Darien's a great guy and I'm sure your mom and dad will approve."  
  
A round of soft laughter filled the house as slowly but surely Darien calmed the fears of Mr. and Mrs. Tuskino and the tension in the house started to evaporate.   
  
"Amy..I..thanks. For everything."  
  
"Like you've told me Serena, what are friends for?"  
  
Laughing softly, Serena almost missed the sudden presence of her mom leaning in the door frame with a slight smile on her face. "Serena, he's wonderful.." she quietly mouthed giving her daughter a knowing wink of approval.   
  
Beaming, Serena nodded and quickly went back to the phone. "Uhm..Amy..I kinda have to go.."  
  
"I understand Serena. I hope the night goes well for you and Darien."  
  
Serena's heart soared at her mom's apparent like of her fiancee and Amy's gracious understanding of the twists the night had taken.   
  
"Thanks Amy! I'll see you soon!"  
  
"Goodnight Serena"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
With a click the conversation ended, leaving Amy to ponder on Serena's engagement until that feeling of depression started to work its way into her heart.   
  
Frowning, Amy did her best to ignore the sensation as she stepped out into the now empty lobby. This was a time to celebrate Serena and Darien's happiness, not dwell on the emptiness that.. falsely mind you..tried to fill her from time to time of late.  
  
Stepping out of the phone booth and distracted as she was, Amy rounded the corner to head across the lobby towards the exit not really paying attention to where she was going. All that was on her mind was going home and into bed, trying to feel happy for Serena and ignore the disappointment at her aborted evening plans.   
  
She, too, never saw it coming.   
  
WHAM!!  
  
(to be continued...)  
  
  



	4. Of Crests and Planets-Ch 4a-Reflections ...

Authors Notes:  
  
1) I don't own Digimon  
2) 'The Movie' hints revealed.   
3) WARNING--Implied '3rd base' activities  
4) Enjoy!!---F_M  
  
Of Crests and Planets Chapter 4--Reflections and Revelations(part a)  
  
Izzy couldn't sleep.   
  
And as exhausted as he was--both mentally and physically- he /should/ have been out like a light. Yet sleep eluded him, tantalizingly close but his racing mind forbade him from such luxury.   
Sighing, the young man looked down at the sleeping Yolei and marveled at how calm and peaceful his lover looked.   
  
It was then Izzy shook his head at how /strange/ it was to so easily think that, not even four hours having passed since they had made love for the first time. But it was comfortable to say..and think..it despite how abrupt that lovemaking had happened.   
  
Even with the clarity that hindsight usually provided, Izzy still could not see how a simple hug had turned into..well...what it did. But somehow that hug, gave in celebration from Yolei at finally understanding a core concept that had been plaguing her for several weeks, turned into a passionate kiss. And that kiss turned into more than either would have ever expected.   
  
Actually tinting slightly at the memory, Izzy still was stunned at how quickly it had happened. Within a few minutes of that kiss both were in this very bed, exploring each other's most intimate of places until their unleashed desire had led them to the ultimate expression of those feelings. Smiling to himself, Izzy was still amazed that he had the presence of mind to remember where his fathers' box of condoms had been; the disks of protection having accidentally been found several months earlier in the search of a spare video tape.   
  
The whole incident have been like something read in the kind of book one would find under a bed, or in the bottom of a sock drawer--the kind a boy would hide from curious siblings or the dreaded, unexpected room cleaning by mom. But in this case, everything proceeded at a rapid pace as both of the young lovers gave up their most special kind of innocence to the other.   
  
Yet, it wasn't his recent loss of virginity to Yolei that had the former DigiDestined troubled. Nor was it concern over Yolei's similar loss of innocence; she had made it quite clear both during and immediately after their coupling that since she didn't have any regrets then he shouldn't either.   
  
And considering the 'or else' look Yolei had when saying that, he was taking /no/ chances.   
  
A gentle caress along his chest startled him for a moment as her fingertips came to rest on his stomach.   
  
"What's wrong Izzy?"  
  
Frowning at his waking of Yolei when the young woman needed her sleep to be ready for the morning final, Izzy decided that subterfuge was the best course of action.   
  
"Nothing Yolei. Just thinking about a few computer problems I'm having trouble with. You had better go back to sleep." he replied smoothly, knowing the kind of test she was facing and how important a good nights rest will be come the morning. "I'll go sleep on the couch so I'll stop bother...."  
  
The fingers flexed and with what little nails she had, Yolei pressed them into Izzy's soft skin, cutting off his offer and getting his full--and quiet--attention.   
  
"You will do no such thing Mr. Izumi. I'll be fine for my exam in the morning. You, on the other hand, are so tense your making Cody look like..you know..that comedian that smashes fruit with a hammer?"  
  
Blinking at the comparison, Izzy shivered. Was his worry /that/ noticeable?  
  
"So..what is it that has got you so worked up? And no bull this time about some computer problems; you told me earlier you finished all your own homework before I came over."  
  
Sighing deeply, Izzy reminded himself to never try to fib to Yolei again as it would be an exercise in utter futility. And as tenacious as she was when it came to helping her friends, he knew she would forgo sleeping the rest of the night until he talked. He wouldn't feel good about himself if that happened; but at the same time his promise to Matt about keeping quiet echoed in his memory.  
  
"Actually, I'm worried about..a friend..."  
  
Yolei blinked. "Who?"  
  
"I can't say."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I promised."  
  
"Oh. Did you and Tentamon have a fight?" .  
  
"No..nothing like that."  
  
Yolei nodded, and waited patiently for Izzy to continue.   
  
He didn't.   
  
"And...?" she finally prompted.   
  
"Well..I really can't say Yolei. It's nothing to worry about..." he said out loud. **I hope anyway** Izzy added silently.   
  
Fuming slightly, the young woman fixed him with an even gaze. "Izzy, if this person's problems was nothing to worry about, then you wouldn't be sitting here so tense you look ready to explode. And /if/ it's someone I might know and care about, then I have a right to know so I can help."  
  
Momentarily wondering if the Foreign Legion was still accepting recruits, Izzy sighed deeply once again and glanced down at her. **Tenacious is now officially an understatement ...**  
Still....  
  
"I gave my word Yolei and I intend on keeping it until ..my friend...is ready for us to help him."  
  
Grinning at the small slip of syntax, Yolei nodded. "So it's a guy. That narrows it down somewhat then.."  
  
"Yolei..." began Izzy with more of a harder tone of voice than he meant to possess, which caused the young woman to look away a bit hurt.   
  
Mentally berating himself with all sorts of words he would never used out loud, Izzy wrapped his arms around Yolei in regret. "I'm sorry Yolei. I wish I could tell you who it was so maybe you could help me, but I did give my word. He wants to work this out for himself first." Hoping she understood the finality of his statement, Izzy stared at the ceiling to focus his jumbled thoughts.   
  
Nodding at the quiet apology, Yolei was about to succumb to his request and not pry further when she blinked, a fragment of an earlier conversation when Izzy arrived called the few pieces she now had into order. With a grin of satisfaction, Yolei shifted within Izzy's embrace and nuzzled against his shoulder.   
  
"So, what do you think is wrong with Matt?"  
  
"I wish I knew Yolei. But if the night..mare..that..I..."  
  
It was then Izzy realized what he was saying and with a quick jerk of his head back towards Yolei confirmed his fear.   
  
He had been snookered, but good.   
  
"How..?" the young man wearily asked.  
  
"Simple." replied Yolei with more than a bit of humor in her voice. "One, since your this worried it must be someone close, and there's no one closer to you than Matt, Tai and the other DigiDestined of your group.." she stated very matter-of-factly. "Two, when I talked to you this morning nothing seemed to be wrong because your voice sounded fine and three, you had apologized for being late when you got here because you had been visiting Matt. The final clue was ever since then, you've been somewhat..distracted I guess. Now I can see why."  
  
As she finished her reasoning, a hand glided down Izzy's form and gently wrapped around his fingers as she knew what was coming next.   
  
"And don't you dare feel guilty about 'breaking your promise' because you haven't. Me guessing isn't the same as you telling. So you can tell me what's going on so I can help, and maybe you and I together can work something out."  
  
He started to open his mouth to argue, but again that no-nonsense look in Yolei's eyes made any attempt at further subterfuge useless. After taking a moment to compose his thoughts, the young man clutched Yolei a bit closer as if needing her strength to try to explain what had been bothering him during these past few hours.   
  
"I went by to see Matt earlier today to drop off some things he left here last night.." Izzy began, glad to have caught himself and not mentioned the tickets. The /last/ thing he wanted Yolei to find out about is her presence changed his plans and made him miss the movie. Granted, what had happened was /much/ more...interesting... than the movie, but the young woman would still have felt a bit regretful if she made Izzy change his plans just for her.   
  
Yolei nodded, resting her head on his shoulder letting him continue at his own pace now.   
  
"He was sleeping late and I was let in by his father who was on his way back to the television station from a late lunch. His dad said he'd been sleeping all day and needed to get up anyway, but I'm not going to begrudge anyone a little extra sleep just for me.." and with a glance he looked at Yolei, wondering if she got the not-too-subtle hint.   
  
Smiling, Yolei just listened. If she got the hint, her face betrayed her not in the slightest.   
  
Resisting the urge to sigh again, Izzy continued. "I was about to leave when he..started yelling in his sleep."  
  
THAT got her to blink. "Yelling?"  
  
He nodded. "Most assuredly yelling. He kept on about he wouldn't let 'him' win, whoever 'him' was. Over and over he said the same thing until..."  
  
Yolei noticed the abrupt pause and glanced up at Izzy as she felt most of the blood rush from her face at the look of momentary fear that played across her lover's eyes. "What happened then..?" she asked softly, her fingers gently tightening around his.   
  
"He..jumped off the couch and slammed me into a wall. Somewhat hard I might add."  
  
She blinked. "What???" Quickly, Yolei fairly shoved Izzy to his side to look his back. She then saw the bruise that had formed vertically right below the shoulder. "So..that's how..."  
  
Nodding, Izzy smiled as he once again slipped onto his back, reassuring Yolei he was fine. "I'm okay Yolei, and it wasn't really Matt's fault. He was still asleep when he did it so I can't hold him accountable."  
  
"Wait..how could he be sleeping /and/ be moving around?"  
  
"There's a rare medical condition that explains it. The basics of it are that some people's dreams are so deep and intense that their bodies begin to react to whatever the dreamer is doing within the confines of the dream. So even though Matt was slamming me against the wall, he honestly thought it was his opponent."  
  
Digesting this information, Yolei made a mental note to do some research at the library on the matter next chance she got.   
  
"So..uhm..how did you..?"  
  
Glancing sadly down at her Izzy supplied the answer. "I..well..slapped him. Hard."  
  
Wincing, Yolei hugged Izzy closer. "Ouch. I hope it worked."  
  
"Don't worry. It did, /and/ he apologized immediately afterwards.." he mentioned, expecting her next question in advance.   
  
"Good. I'm glad he did. I would hate to get on T.K.'s bad side by beating up his older brother for being such a rude jerk.."  
  
Izzy knew full well that to anyone outside their little group of friends that remark would have been taken as a somewhat impossible gesture on Yolei's part; but Izzy knew better....   
  
Yolei would have probably turned him into something close to creamed chipped Matt.   
  
Stroking her shoulder, Izzy tried to settle the young woman. "It's okay Yolei. It wasn't Matt's fault and he did apologize. But I have to try to figure out what's bothering him without prying"  
  
"And that's what's' bothering you right?"  
  
Izzy simply shrugged in reply.   
  
"Let me guess..." she started.."you asked him what the dream was about and he refused. You tried logic..maybe a little blackmail..and it still didn't work to your satisfaction so now your trying to rack your brains to draw conclusions between what few pieces you have of the puzzle." There was another pause as Yolei studied Izzy's reaction and was not too surprised when the look on his face melted into one of sheer disbelief.  
  
"How..how did..you..?" he mummered, but was quieted by a slender finger covering his lips.   
  
"Because I know you Izzy..at least, I /hope/ I know you a little better after all the time we've known each other. And I know you care about your friends and besides, that is /exactly/ what I would do if it was Cody or Kari or Davis."  
  
Izzy looked at her and nodded. "Am I that easy to read Yolei?"  
  
"No. You just care too much to not try to help even when your not in a position to do much. And when someone cares as much as you do about your friends, they will go to outstanding lengths to make sure they're okay no matter if it costs them time, or money...or even sleep."  
  
Wincing at the hint anvil that fell suddenly upon his head, Izzy nodded in defeat. "So your saying me staying up and worrying myself to death at this point isn't going to help because I don't have all the pieces yet. Right?"  
  
"Well, if you want to be /blunt/ about it..."  
  
"Then what do you suggest, o psychic one?" teased Izzy in a /rare/ moment of humor.   
  
Smirking, Yolei shook her head. "I'm not suggesting anything. BUT..." she paused and grinned at her friend. " /IF/ I /was/ going to suggest anything, it would be to let the pieces show up in their own time and conserve your worry for when you really need it to help figure out the problem then."  
  
Izzy blinked, caught off guard about how /right/ she was. At this moment, there was no need to drive himself to mental exhaustion until he had more facts. Looking over, he grinned.   
  
"How did you get so wise?"  
  
Shrugging, the young woman grinned. "All in the company I keep I guess.."  
  
Izzy felt his cheeks blush and was quite grateful for the low light in the room to hide his embarrassment. Suddenly he felt Yolei's form ease partially across his and scant seconds later her lips were upon his own.   
  
Closing his eyes, Izzy savored the moment. Logically he knew that Yolei was trying to relax him to the point where he could finally fall asleep. But his mind was still racing too quickly to allow that to happen, despite her wondrous efforts.   
  
Breaking the kiss, Izzy rubbed her shoulder. "While I appreciate the intent Yolei, I'm still way too worked up to sleep; at least right now anyway. And since you have got to get some rest I'm going to go to the couch. And there's nothing you can say to make me change my mind this time.."  
  
Due to the same low light that hid his earlier blush, Izzy now missed the playfully evil look on Yolei's face as the challenge was made. "Oh..really...?" she clarified.  
  
A dozen mental alarms went off in Izzy's head that he had just done /something/ wrong, but what exactly that 'something' was, he had no idea. Izzy found himself numbly nodding, not sure what to expect next.   
  
Yolei, realizing that Izzy was in pretty bad shape with concern for his friend, mentally weighted the best couple of ways to relax him the fastest. A blush crossed her face as the most obvious way to calm Izzy down was by far the most satisfying for them both, but with no other forms of protection currently available she could come to regret that decision about nine months down the road. Then, another smile spread across her face as an alternative choice became obviously clear.   
  
With focused intent, Yolei's hand drifted down Izzy's chest and below the sheet until she found what she was looking for and was pleased by the look on his face when her plan became all-too-clear.   
  
"Y..Yolei..y..you don't.."  
  
Another gentle kiss stopped him from protesting further. "No, I don't /have/ too. But I /want/ too..." and with that she proceeded to relax Izzy in the second most powerful way possible as she watched with some small amount of pride as his eyes widened as large as dinner plates.   
  
Several long minutes later, Izzy was unconscious to the world dozing deeply as Yolei snuggled against him, sleep gradually overtaking her.   
  
"Boys..." she giggled to herself as the young woman drifted off into slumber.   
  
  
  
  
"Tai..?"  
  
"Tai..where did you...?"   
  
The sound of miserable retching answered Sora's question as she spotted her jogging partner on his knees off to one side of the pathway that surrounded the perimeter of Odieba Park  
  
Walking over gently, Sora knelt down and began to rub Tai's back softly much like her own mother had done when Sora was younger and in the same situation. It continued for a few more moments before Tai finally wiped a few tears from his eyes and took the napkin Sora had pulled from her pocket to clean up some.   
  
"Sorry about that Sora."  
  
"It's okay Tai. How do you feel now?"  
  
"Better..I guess."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you didn't feel okay when we left to go running?"  
  
"To be honest Sora I /was/ feeling fine when we left. A minute ago though something weird happened and I had to....." his voice trailing off as the rest of the explanation was self evident in the grass.   
  
Blinking, Sora continued to rub Tai's back, noticing how much it seemed to relax him. "Something weird? Do you think you can describe it to me?"  
  
Tai shook his head. "I'm not sure really Sora. I just..it felt like someone ran into me hard. Really hard! I got short of breath then I got sick."  
  
Glancing up and down the mostly deserted path, Sora looked for some sign of another injured party but saw no one who might have been the person who hit Tai.   
  
Looking over his shoulder Tai shook his head, his brown hair waving back and forth. "No one hit me Sora, it just..kinda...felt like it."  
  
Her face scrunching up with a puzzled look she helped Tai up to his feet. "Do you want to go to the emergency room?"  
  
The young man smiled as despite her best efforts Sora couldn't keep the worry for him from creeping into her voice. It was this level of concern over him that again reminded Tai why he felt so comfortable in her presence.   
  
"I'll be okay Sora. I just wish I knew why that feeling just came and went. I've had the wind knocked out of me before, but usually there was a soccer ball causing it and not thin air..."  
  
Sora could hear the confusion in Tai's voice. Even if it was just a fluke of biology, she wasn't willing to write it off considering everything that had happened to them in the past 24 hours. And judging the look in Tai's eyes, the young man was more than slightly worried about the whole incident himself.   
  
"Tai?"  
"Yea Sora?" he answered, finally looking like..whatever..had fully passed.   
  
"Do you think we should go see Izzy just in case this is related to what happened to us in the Digital World?"  
  
Tai paused as he not only heard the words in Sora's question, but the tone of deepening worry as well.   
  
**Man, I gotta be careful! Sora's getting more freaked out about this than I am. I better play it cool so she won't be upset...**  
  
"Na! I mean..it was probably those tofu burgers mom made for lunch! You know how I can't stand tofu, even if mom said it was a new and improved recipe. I'll be find with a little Pepto."  
  
Crossing her arms, Sora looked at Tai with a 'do you really think I'm going to believe that??' look, but she didn't force the issue. It was clear he didn't want to go to the hospital or talk to Izzy. As much as she wanted to get it resolved, she knew that their new relationship was a fragile one at best and to probe further could cause damage they might never recover from.   
  
An involuntary flash of memory arced through Sora's mind as she and Tai held each other close, tears streaming down both cheeks in the depths of Datamon's desert. Their love for the other had finally been revealed, the words finally having been said. She could feel the new bond forming between them ever since, and to wreck that would be a regret she would carry to her grave.   
  
"Well..if your sure Tai.." she said softly.  
  
"Of course I'm sure!" he said enthusiastically while flashing Sora a huge grin. "Now, how about we jog to the video store and grab a movie before all the good ones get gone? It's only a little after.." he paused to check his watch.."nine, so there should be some good ones left..."  
  
A half-honest, half forced grin spread over Sora lips as she reluctantly nodded at the idea. "Sounds good Tai. But can we try to get something without giant robots and glowing green kids?"  
  
Pausing in mid-stretch, Tai looked over. "I thought you liked....?"  
  
"I do..honest..but just not tonight. Besides, that theme song just..sticks in my head and it takes days for me to get it out. And with all the hype they've been doing for the movie...". Sora's voice trailed off as it was clear she was clearly in a non-mecha mood.  
Mock pouting, Tai sulked for a moment before smiling. "Okay, no giant robots with space dividing screwdrivers and glowing green kids saving the world. But everything else is fair game?"  
  
Smirking at the attempted trick, Sora shook her head as she slipped her fingers into his. "No tentacles. Other than those two..surprise me.."  
  
Sighing, Tai tightened his grip around Sora's hand; a gesture a few weeks ago he would have no more done in public than sing the aforementioned theme music in a karaoke bar. "Your going to make this difficult aren't you?"  
  
"Whom, me??..." she replied with total innocence.  
  
"Oh well..we'll just have to see I guess.." and with a playful grin the pair started down the jogging path towards the entrance.   
  
But despite the light banter of playful teasing, Sora was still worried about Tai's quick bout of sickness. What could have happened to make Tai feel like the wind had been knocked out of him?  
  
  
*Okay..I have had it!* Matt growled to himself as he struggled to untangle himself after being run over like soda can on the highway. He hadn't even seen the guy's face; just a quick blur of white and blue then an up-close and personal view of the carpet as the breath was forced from his lungs.   
  
After events of the past 24 hours, Matt had reached his boiling point. Being tricked by Myotismon was just the beginning as the subsequent battle and near loss of T.K. had been more weight upon his memory. Combined with the nightmare last evening and the vision a few hours ago, the young man getting floored by some idiot who didn't know enough to watch where he was going became the proverbial straw on the camel's back.   
  
Finally back onto his knees and having regained enough breath to yell, Matt turned his gaze towards the jerk and started to let him have it as the bile-filled words yearned for release.   
  
At least, they did until the most angelic of voices filled his ears.  
  
"Oh..please excuse me! I am so sorry! Are you okay??"  
  
Shock overtook anger as the hurtful words died a quick death as Matt followed the voice back to the source. It was then the young man found himself staring into the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen.   
  
The young man just sat there on his knees, transfixed by the crystal blue gaze that had entrapped him so suddenly. Should someone travel the ends of the Earth, capturing shards of the clearest diamond and within each imprisoning a drop of the bluest water the ocean had to offer, it would still be a pale imitation of the eyes before him.   
  
Amy froze, her own breath catching in mid-motion, eyes locked with those of the young man she had inadvertently knocked down. The twin droplets of blue were like looking into the heart of a typhoon; a churning force of nature that one would fear and yet still be transfixed by the natural beauty of the chaos. A shimmer of light passed over his eyes, and for a moment Amy felt she could see behind that gaze and into his very soul itself.   
  
Sensations of darkness, then light filled Amy's spirit as her instincts screamed out vainly a warning that there was more to this young man that met the eye. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the waves of emotion passed leaving her with the feeling that she could easily be lost in those eyes forever and not care as the warnings of her senses went unheard.   
  
Deep inside Matt, the Darkness recoiled, snarling in defiance of both the sensations now running through his unwilling host and the sense of personal danger he felt from this human girl . Retreating to the blackest corners of Matt's heart, the Darkness would watch this new enemy before making another move to control the former DigiDestined.   
  
His true prize was but temporarily out of reach.   
  
~~Enjoy your reprieve /my/ Chosen One. It shall not last...~~  
  
"Are....you okay..?"  
  
The words took a minute to register as Matt had to pull himself away from those beautiful eyes and back to reality. However, he found that reality had gotten much better looking in the past few minutes as he saw the face those eyes rested in so gracefully. Smooth white skin, a button nose and soft red lips only added to the angelic sight before him. The delicate blue hair only enhanced the beauty of the young woman before him.   
  
Hair the color of golden wheat was the first thing Amy noticed as she was finally able to get a few words out after freeing herself from the young man's gaze. The mane was wild and unchecked, much like those eyes. A smooth stomach and long, lean legs became noticeable to Amy as she finally found enough sense of self to carry on her apology.   
  
"I should have been paying attention to where I was going! I hope that... ."  
  
"No!" exclaimed Matt, a little louder than intended as he caught the young woman off-guard. "I..uhm..mean..don't worry about it. I was the one who should have been watching where he was going. It's my fault."  
  
Frowning slightly, Amy looked at the man before her and fumed. /She/ was the one at fault and there was /NO/ way she was going to let him apologize just to be respectful. Her upbringing, along with her own sense of ethics, would not let anyone..no matter /how/ stubborn...take the blame for something in some foolish attempt to be chivalrous.  
  
"I am sorry, but I must disagree. I was the one at fault, and I believe I should be the one to... ."  
  
Matt scowled. **Boy, is she stubborn! /Well/, I'm the one who's going to apologize so she had just better deal with it!**  
  
"Listen Miss, I was the one who... ."  
"Don't you dare think for a moment that... ."  
"Hey now! I'm trying to apol.... "  
"I /understand/ that, but I think if you look at all the factors you'll see that I was the one at fault!"  
"Factors? /I'm/ the one who barreled around the corner without looking!"  
  
Had Izzy, or really any of the other DigiDestined, been present this argument would have been one to record for history. Matt, the 'unofficial' Lone Wolf of the group; the 'quiet, brooding one' he had known as at one point, was arguing--and holding his own--against a young woman in the middle of a theater on who's fault it was on whom knocked whom over!  
  
The kid behind the concession counter-a pimply faced youth of maybe 16-watched in fascination for long moments as the two bantered back and forth until called upon by a pair of customers at the far end of the counter. Having purchased their snacks, the two men--one tall and thin, the other shorter with a bit of weight to him--departed to the balcony that was apparently reserved for them as an usher removed a velvet rope to let them pass.   
  
Neither Amy or Matt paid any attention to the goings on as their own 'discussion' reached a new level of stubbornness.   
  
"I can't believe anyone could be as.. pig-headed....as.... "  
  
The argument suddenly went stereo as both blinked, their words matching the other's exactly. Staring at each other, both young adults started to laugh as Amy's gentle giggle was drowned out by the hearty laugh of Matt's response to the sheer stupidity of their disagreement. A few long moments passed before the two were able to look at each other without the 'giggles' trying to take over again. Slowly, Matt offered his hand.   
  
"How about we both say we weren't paying attention and call it even... ?"  
  
Amy looked at the outstretched hand and considered the merits of a tie versus the continued argument and almost immediately decided on the former. Grasping the hand, Amy sealed the deal with a gentle shake.   
  
It was then both realized they had been standing there for almost a full minute holding hands, neither having yet let go.   
  
Both blushing ever so slightly, each pulled away as the moment suddenly became more awkward, if either had thought it possible. It was only by the good graces of Fate that Amy noticed something to break the silence. "Oh..your tickets!"  
  
Blinking, Matt on reflex checked his pocket and found the two slips missing. A hint of movement found him following Amy's graceful bend to retrieve his lost passes and with another graceful slide they were back in his possession.   
  
"Woah. I'm glad you saw those. I can't get in without it."  
  
"Neither could your friend."  
  
Matt blinked. **How did she...?**  
  
Amy must have caught the sudden look of surprise at the observation as a soft smile crossed her face. "I hope whoever is going to use that second ticket gets here soon or they will miss the best part of the movie."  
  
**Oh..duh...**  
  
"Well, he can't make it cause something..uhm..came up suddenly."  
  
Amy blinked, wondering why her new companion was suddenly looking a red as a soda can. Nodding at the explanation after a moment, she smiled. "Well..it was nice to meet you and I hope you enjoy the movie" she said politely enough; but for some reason, a part of her didn't want the conversation to end just yet.   
  
**Ugh! Don't even go there Ishida!** Matt mentally yelled at himself as the image of Izzy and Yolei...studying...was something he didn't really want to EVER think about again. Forcing a smile, Matt tried to act unaffected but for some reason his normal facade of icy distance refused to appear. "I...uhm... hope you do too.." was all he could think of saying.   
  
Smiling, Amy shook her head. "I wish I could. A good friend of mine can't attend, but in my case she's the one with the tickets so I was going to get a bite to eat and go home to study."  
  
Even before she finished, Amy felt an unusual sense of bleakness growing in the pit of her stomach as if such plans were now all she had to look forward too for the rest of her life. It made no logical sense to feel that way, but- at that moment- she /just/ didn't care anymore.   
  
** Studying on a Friday night instead of going out? That just sounds..wrong. Man, I wish I could help her. If I had an extra ticket I'd be..glad..to....**  
  
It was then Matt's Amy-infected mind realized that he /had/ an extra ticket and he /could/ give it to her. Of course, the young man's feelings of being a complete and total IDIOT by not realizing such a fact sooner were kept hidden from his new friend.   
  
Still, he had to play this /cool/. She was cute and all, but he was just doing this cause it was a nice thing to do. It wasn't like he was interested in her or anything like that.   
  
***No sense in making her think like I'm trying to...like, ask her out or anything...***  
  
"Uhm..well..if you want..you..could..uhm..have my extra ticket..." Matt stuttered out, any success at being 'cool' having been loss in the first syllable.   
  
***Oh man, that was so LAME!**  
  
Amy's breath caught somewhere south of her breastbone as the offer pulled her from the sinking feeling of despair that was building and back to her surroundings as she looked at the ticket..then at Matt...then back to the ticket once more. Before she could stop it, her hand began to reach forward.   
  
It was then she caught herself, looking at the ticket with apparent want, but her inner voice told her that this was wrong.   
  
**I don't even know this guy's name. I can't just go to a movie with him on the spur of the moment! He could be dangerous! I ..just...can't take the chance...** she said, trying to convince herself despite the fact there wasn't a single bone in her body that believed the transparent ruse.  
  
Matt stood there, ticket in hand as he watched Amy's face twist from one extreme of want to the other of denial. Unexpectedly he felt a surge of disappointment rise from his gut as he began to slowly withdraw the paper.  
  
Thus occupied, neither of the pair noticed a gentleman come from the shadows and with deliberant intent snatched the offered ticket from the young man's hand.   
  
Both Matt and Amy jerked around, the former with fists balled ready to strike out against the thief as she looked almost ready to do the same. But instead of a surly character that looked more at home in an alley than a nice theater, both young adults came face-to-face with a face full of teeth in a broad smile and sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the universe within them. All that was topped off by a mass of dark curly hair under a floppy, well-worn canvas hat who's entire life looked half spend rolled up in one of the many pockets of the man's long burgendy-red trench coat, somehow dug out from underneath the many layers of the huge multicolored scarf that seemed to wrap forever around the gentleman's neck and still wind up only inches from the ground.  
  
"Come now! The movie's starting! Don't want to miss it!" the very..Bohemian...gentleman said as he put the ticket into Amy's slightly opened fingers and with gentle but firm grasps upon their shoulders the pair was quickly ushered to the door that led to the seats.   
  
"But..but..." stammered Matt as his mind tried to play catch-up but failed miserably. Likewise, Amy tried to protest but before any words could be spoken the were at the doors and their 'guide' pulled back, that same broad smile still showing.   
  
"Terribly sorry about this, but we /do/ have the midnight show in a little bit and we really /must/ get the lobby prepared. Don't dawdle or you'll miss the best parts!"   
  
And with that, the stranger departed. Moving to the main doors he was joined by a young woman in her mid-to-late 20's in a peppermint striped shirt and denim overalls. Together they stepped out into the crowded sidewalk within moments both disappeared into the mass of people, leaving a stunned Amy Mizuno and Matt Ishidia looking at each other. It never occurred to the pair that if the gentleman was part of the theater staff, why hadn't he returned to get the lobby ready as was mentioned?  
  
Glancing over, they checked to see if the concession worker had seen the same few moments of weirdness transpire. Unfortunately, the youth was engrossed in a hand held game of some kind and thus missed everything for the last few minutes; his only concern was constructing the asteroid shield before the Gamilon forces arrived.   
  
With looks that bordered on sheer disbelief, the pair shuffled a little in the awkwardness of the moment before Matt finally spoke, needing to do /something/..even if terribly uninventive...to break the quiet.   
  
"Uhm...I'm Matt. Matt Ishida." he said, offering the hand not holding his ticket.   
  
**At least I know his name now..** mused Amy as she looked at the hand for a long moment before finally taking the offered appendage. Amy realized that since they both were /here/, so there was no honest reason to /not/ see the movie now so...  
  
"Amy Mizuno. It's...very nice to meet you Matt.." she said, trying to fight against the blush rising to her cheeks.   
  
"Yea. Same here. I guess..we should...you know...take our seats right?"  
  
Nodding the young woman smiled as within her the transparent lies she tried to use minutes earlier shattered under light of knowing his name and the kind manner he seemed to possess. "I think that would be best so they can clean up..."   
  
With a somewhat sheepish smile of his own, Matt opened the door and Amy walked into the theater and both spotted the only pair of seats left: third row center, directly beside each other.   
As the last preview faded, the pair found their seats after much squirming through the packed rows. Finally able to sit and relax, they blinked as the screen brightened suddenly, the huge 'G G G' logos emblazoned in their traditional colors of steel gray on bright green.   
  
The movie they both had wanted to see for months was finally starting, but neither of the young adults could focus on the magic of the big screen as their thoughts we on the other, and why they could not stop thinking about the eyes that had captivated them so totally.   
  
Outside past the masses of those lucky enough with tickets for the midnight showing, the tall man with curly hair and his peppermint and denim clad companion started down a darkened alley to their vehicle   
  
"What was that all about?" asked the woman, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.  
  
Looking over, the man looked honestly amused at the question. "Nothing at all. You know me, Sara-Jane, I'm not one to meddle."  
  
"Ha. When do you not meddle?" she said, with more than a bit of playful jab in her voice.   
  
"Well... maybe a little nudge here or there... just to keep things on track."  
  
"And just what are you keeping on track this time?"  
  
With an even larger grin, the Doctor adjusted his hat and scarf. "The future. Or rather the 'correct' future."  
  
Sara-Jane looked at her friend with an expression of confusion.   
  
With a more serious look in his eyes he continued. "Believe it or not, Sara-Jane, I do  
try to avoid getting involved. And I do hate working without a net. But in some cases it just can't be avoided."  
  
"But why? What makes this time frame... and those kids..so important?"  
  
"I wish I could tell you everything Sara, but suffice it to say that it's /impossibly/ important that the future unfolds properly or else...it could well be the end."  
  
The woman blinked and looked her friend. "'The end?'" she echoed. "Of what?"  
  
With a deadly silence filling the air between them for long moments, the elder traveler paused, the key dangling in his hand as it stopped halfway to the lock of their transport. Slowly he turned and looked at her, his face showing-for the first time she could remember-the full weight of his 450 years of life.   
  
"Everything, my dear Sara-Jane. Everything in the cosmos...."  
(To be Continued in Chapter 4--Reflections and Revelations (part b)  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. OF CRESTS AND PLANETS--Ch 4b--Reflection...

(Authors notes at bottom)  
  
  
OF CRESTS AND PLANETS--Ch 4b--Reflections and Revelations  
  
  
"How about this one?" queried Tai as he held up the video cover and awaited Sora's approval.   
  
Sighing, Tai blinked and put the empty box back in place as Sora's crinkled facial features clearly indicated her thoughts on his selection.   
  
The hustle and bustle of the video store was typical for a Friday night and--as usual-- it was shoulder-to-shoulder on Tai's favorite aisle. After screening rows of titles against Sora's earlier list of what was or was not acceptable, the young man decided to give up and let his girlfriend choose the nights entertainment.   
  
Tai blinked, and realized what he had just thought.   
  
**My girlfriend? Woah, that's a new one. But I guess after the other night in the Digital World, it's safe to call her that. I mean, we did kiss and everything.** mused the young man, more relaxed with the idea than he would have thought.   
  
It was then his conscious mind jogged his memory at the one thing they /didn't/ do, causing the young man to sigh softly.   
  
**Well, maybe not /everything/...** he corrected himself, but the basics of his earlier redefinition of Sora still held true.   
  
He was hers, and she was his. After years of ignoring their true feelings and avoiding what their hearts were telling them, so much time had been wasted playing games when it could have been spent building a future.   
  
"Tai?"  
  
"Tai...you okay?"  
  
Blinking, the young man looked over at the voice calling his name, and realized it was Sora who had a worried look on her face.   
  
"Tai, are you okay?" she asked once more, the tone of her voice unmistakably filled with concern.  
  
Running his hand through his mane, Tai grinned sheepishly as he tried to fix in place as much of his unruly hair as possible. "Uhm, yea. Sorry Sora. Zoned out there for a moment. I'm cool." he said, trying to reassure her.  
  
Sora blinked. "A moment? Tai, I've been standing here a good three minutes calling you."  
  
Now it was Tai's turn to worry. His thoughts had been on Sora, and the kind of future they might have together. Was he out of it that long...?  
  
"Tai, are you feeling sick again?"  
  
Sighing, he shook his head. "Honestly Sora, I feel fine now. Whatever made me throw up in the park seems to be gone now. I feel all right. "  
  
Sora looked into his eyes to see if he was covering the truth once more, but saw only honesty in his gaze. Still, his quick bout of sickness, combined with the lack of attention to his name being called, gave the young woman pangs of worry. However, there was little she could do to force the issue.   
  
Especially when it came to Tai Kamiya.   
  
"Okay...if you're sure..." surrendered Sora as Tai's goofy smile seemed to be genuine enough to relax her somewhat.   
  
Nodding, Tai noticed the videos in Sora's grip and deftly changed the subject. "So, what's on the agenda tonight?" he asked, both honestly interested and grateful for something else to talk about.   
  
Smiling softly, Sora handed her the video choices and watched as Tai's eyes narrowed unexpectedly on the first one, then widened on the second. Satisfied she had at least gotten one out of two that he would like, she gently took them from his grip and laughed softly.   
  
"I take it you can at least watch the second one?" she asked, the playful...and slightly seductive...tone in her voice impossible to miss.   
  
With a somewhat dumbfounded nod, Tai smiled. While the first one screamed 'chick flick', the second one was a movie he would have never in a million years--Earth of Digital--imagined Sora renting.   
  
Satisfied that she had stunned Tai into quiet, the young woman took the tapes to the front counter, paid for them and within a few minutes both she and her companion walked out into the nighttime air.   
  
The sidewalks and roads were still marginally crowded, but a far cry from the normal amount of traffic. At night, the noise was nothing but a background to the moments Tai and Sora now shared together.   
  
The last block before home came into view, and Highton View Terrace loomed up off in the distance. As the pair approached an intersection, Tai absently looked at his watch and noticed it was nearly 11pm. It was then, as he glanced over at Sora, he stopped cold in his tracks.   
  
Cast in the fluoresce of the street lamp above, Sora appeared to be glowing from within. Her smooth skin was flushed, covered in the soft while light as her eyes became deep pools that he knew that he could be lost in them forever and not care.   
  
The memories of their last night in the Digital World rushed through Tai's mind as he stood there, transfixed by Sora's beauty. A sudden feeling of great want cascaded through him, filling the Bearer of Courage with an undeniable need to hold her in his arms.   
  
Sora was shocked when the fingers of Tai's left hand intertwined and curled around those of her right. Before she could say or do anything, her body was pulled to his and moments later the Bearer of Love found herself engulfed in the most passionate kiss they had shared to date.   
  
With a gentle thud, the tapes fell to the ground as Sora's other hand found something much better to hold in the form of Tai's shoulder. Now oblivious to everything but the other, the pair embraced for several minutes, ignoring the stares and points of those around them.   
  
It was only after another moment that the two finally separated. Blushing, the pair simply stood there, fingers interlocked until a shadow fell over them.   
  
It was then they saw the elder couple pass by as both looked to be in their mid-70's. Despite their advanced years, they still enjoyed long moonlit walks and the simple happiness in each others' company. Perhaps due to the fact they could easily remember being so young and so much in love they gave the younger couple a knowing smile as they walked on. .   
  
It was just before they rounded the corner that the elder gentleman turned and gave Tai a subtle 'thumbs up', as if to compliment Tai on his choice of women.   
  
With a playful slap against her husband's shoulder, the woman chastised her mate. "Harold!" she teased, watching the corners of his mouth turn up in playful amusement.   
  
With a soft giggle, Sora couldn't hide her amusement at the entire sequence of events and watched as the couple turned the corner and vanished out of sight. Turning back towards Tai, she reached down and picked up the discarded tapes before finding her voice.   
  
"Not that I'm complaining Tai, but where did that come from?"  
  
With a bashful grin, the young man shrugged. "Sorry Sora. I just...had too. You looked so beautiful under the light and....". With that, Tai's voice trailed off as he was simply unable to explain the powerful feelings that caused him to need her at that moment.   
  
Sora nodded and laid her head on his shoulder, accepting the answer as it was. With fingers still clasped, the two crossed the intersections and walked towards Tai's apartment in quiet splendor as the stars shown down upon them.  
  
  
Unaware of the powers watching over them, Matt and Amy sat in the darkened theater, both only paying the smallest amount of attention to the movie. Despite the climatic conclusion that arced across the screen before them, each was more concerned with their own thoughts than the fate of the characters that danced across the screen before them.   
  
The final blow struck and the room became awash in a brilliant explosion, yet Amy and Matt simply did not care. While the conclusion brought the rest of the theater to it's collected feet in cheers, the pair of teens stayed lost in thought about the hints of...something...each caught in the others gaze for that brief moment upon meeting.   
  
Something that simply /would/ not leave them be.  
  
It wasn't until the credits had finished and the theater emptied that the two finally broke out of their respective trances and looked at the other.   
  
"Uhm...good movie..."   
  
"Yes... it.was.Matt."  
  
"Did you see the part....?"  
  
"Yes, I did. But I couldn't believe that they..."  
  
"I know. Pretty good special effects on that shot..."  
  
For several minutes the light banter continued as each tried to carry on a conversation about a movie they perhaps gave five minutes worth of attention to. It was only when the house lights came back up and the ushers came to clean the mess on the floor Matt and Amy realized the awkwardness of the situation and stood up to leave.   
  
Without warning, each was suddenly tugged towards the other.   
  
Looking down, Amy's right hand and Matt's left were inexplicable wrapped around the other; a feat that neither one of them recalled actually /doing/.   
  
A deep blush rushed over Amy's cheeks as the noticed the same shocked expression on Matt's face. Hesitantly, her fingers began to uncoil but when Matt followed suit, it was clear to Amy that he was feeling as 'out of kilter' as she.   
  
Now separated from each other, the pair rose and made their way towards the exit door, which Matt held for Amy as the pair slipped out into the near-midnight air. The florescence floodlights on the power poles cast the side of the theater in a surreal glow as the two watched the various couples depart by car, motorcycle and on foot until they alone were left on that side of the vast parking lot.   
  
Each fumbled with something to say; something proper for the ending of a nice, if unexpected, evening.   
  
Something that didn't sound lame-as-hell wouldn't be bad either.   
  
Matt finally turned to face Amy directly, inhaling slowly to calm his nerves.  
  
**Okay Ishida. It's time to stop acting like some kind of lovesick doofus. Sure she's cute, but you don't really know her and the /last/ thing you need to worry about some girl. So just offer to walk her to her car, and say good-bye!**  
  
Amy looked at Matt, as the young man seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments.   
  
**He's probably debating on the best way to say good-bye without dragging it out.** she mused, before realizing that aching feeling in her heart was starting to become more noticeable. Clenching her fists together, she forced the sensation down. **Which is just as well! I need to work on lesson plans for Monday, not to mention finishing my own homework. The /last/ thing I have time to worry about is if some cute guy likes me or not, /which/ I am sure he doesn't so there's no need to worry about it right??**  
  
A strained silence filled the air, each lost in thought until a horrible, gut wrenching growl broke the silence.   
  
Amy's eyes widened as Matt's face turn beet red, his stomach protesting--in the most noticeable way possible of course--that it was a bit empty and that the young man should resolve the situation as soon as possible.   
  
Seconds later, the sounds of soft laughter erupted from the side of the theater as both shook their heads at the absurdity of the moment. It was only after a good half-minute that each settled down enough to talk normally.   
  
"Are you...okay Matt..?." asked Amy gently, her beet-red blush finally starting to subside  
  
Still incredibly embarrassed by the commotion, Matt ran his fingers through his golden mane and nodded. "Uhm..yea. Sorry about that. Skipped dinner so I'd make it here on time. I need to stop for gas on the way back home so I'll grab a couple of hot dogs at the gas station..."  
  
Amy felt her face scrunch up at the thought of him subjecting himself to such a horrible meal. She had never understood how her friend Leda could eat them things, call them /good/, and still consider herself a budding chef.  
  
Noticing Amy's face, Matt smiled a little more as his embarrassment faded. "I take it you don't think that's a good choice....?"  
  
"I would rather eat shredded cardboard than those...things."  
  
"Ouch. Well, I don't think there's a lot of alternatives this time of night. Unless you know of someplace open this late I could go after I walk you to your car."  
  
Amy blinked, then smiled. "Well, I do know of one nice place, if you like inexpensive pizza. But since I don't have a car you don't have to worry about walking me to it, though it is a nice gesture."   
  
Matt nodded, then blinked as he realized something. "If you didn't drive, how did you get here then? By bus?"  
  
"I walked actually."  
  
At that Matt paused and looked at the young woman. Even though he was quite unfamiliar with the area, the map that he had printed out clearly showed the theater was in the middle of a growing business district, covering more than several blocks in every direction. **If she walked....**  
  
His confusion must have shown on his face as Amy's words broke into his thoughts.  
  
"It's only 6.342 blocks Matt. I'll be fine."  
  
He frowned. "6.342 blocks?"  
  
**She knows how many blocks its it to three decimal points??**  
  
"I've walked it before at this time of night Matt. It's quite safe." reassured the young woman. **He's... worried about me...?** thought Amy, a bit taken aback by the look on his face that suggested such concern for someone he hardly knew.   
  
"No."  
  
Another awkward pause filled the air as Amy looked at Matt. "No...what?" she asked slowly.   
  
Matt blinked, unaware he had vocalized his thoughts from moments ago. "I...uhm..." he stammered, trying to explain what he had been thinking..."I was just thinking that, you know, with the way people are today, and... with it being this late and with you being as pretty as you are..."  
  
Seconds later, Matt's face scrunched up as his brain finally caught up to his mouth and he realized what he said.   
  
**Oh...crap! Way to fucking go Ishidia!** the young man cussed himself, appalled that such thoughts were able to slip out past his defenses.   
  
Amy was as equally stunned, not quite sure if she was believing what she heard was correct or not. She could only stand there in shock as Matt fumbled with his words.   
  
"...I..I mean that it's not safe for any cute gir..uhm..woman...yea, woman...to walk alone at night down the street. So...I'll be glad to escort you home. Uhm...unless you want to...you know...maybe get a pizza....together...with me...first?"  
  
**Where the hell did /that/ come from?!** Matt yelled at himself, his earlier words to convince himself to avoid getting involved with Amy seemingly already forgotten--or totally ignored--by his brain  
  
Amy just stood there in shock for a long moment before realizing that Matt was asking her, of all people, out.   
  
**No, that can't be what I heard....can it??"   
  
She didn't want to believe the offer hanging in midair, awaiting her acceptance. People like her didn't get asked out by people like him. She was plain, and not even marginally attractive. Boys...men...like him, with their storm cloud eyes and gentle laugh, didn't notice people like her.   
  
So why was he asking her /that/??  
  
Quietly summoning her willpower, Amy tried to calm her wrecked insides. She had faced more dire situations than this and survived! **I've got to be strong! I just say 'no, thank you' and I be on my way. Everything's back to normal and...I...I...won't have to worry about dinner, or hurting his feelings, or not seeing those beautiful storm cloud eyes....**  
  
It was then she saw those aforementioned eyes, her reasoning collapsed like a fragile house of cards.   
  
"That...that would be very nice of you Matt. Thank you." The words escaped Amy's lips before she even realized it, and by then time her conscious mind had caught up to what had just been said, it was far too late. .   
  
Matt blinked, then felt himself nodding. **Crap, I can't back out now. That would suck beyond suck. Besides, it is the right thing to do...** he thought, trying to ignore the hint of happiness that rushed through him as her answer echoed in his mind.   
  
"So I... uhm..guess you have an escort then..." stammered the young man as he offered his arm, unsure how things had gotten this far out of hand in such a small time. Still, he had to reign in all the mixed-up emotions as he fought to calm his racing mind.   
  
**Ah hell. It's not like I'm going to see her again after tonight anyway so I might as well make it nice for her. ....** the rational part of his mind offered in an attempt to validate these strange feelings.   
  
His subconscious didn't buy it for a moment.   
  
Smiling lightly, Amy slipped the crook of her arm into his, and the pair made their way through the parking lot to Matt's motorcycle. She was hesitant at first, but after getting used to the spare helmet Matt carried and how seeing how confident he was at the controls, she relaxed and actually felt herself looking forward to the ride even if it was only for a few miles.   
  
With a single powerful kick and a well-tuned rumble, the motorcycle started and soon the pair were off, slipping down a deserted side street and into the night.   
  
Thus occupied by thoughts and feelings neither honestly knew how to deal with, the pair failed to notice an odd figure standing atop a telephone pole, watching them with hawk-like intensity. Clad in a bluish-gray type of uniform, the raven haired woman frowned and folded her matching cloak around her form. Moments later, there was a flash of dark energy and she simply phased out of existence with reality and vanished.   
  
A swirl of color without sound greeted the figure as she materialized in Dimensional Limbo. Thousands of shades, some never dreamed of by man, swirled and blended in patterns beyond comprehension. But to the woman that traversed the long hallway between dimensions the view was old several hundred years ago. Now it was simply a background, ignored for the most part since much more pressing concerns rested on her mind this night.   
  
Reaching the point she knew all too well, another slight nudge of willpower was summoned and a tear in the fabric of space/time rippled into existence. With a few graceful steps, the woman slipped into the tear and materialized in the main decontamination chamber of the base. As her eyes grew accustomed to the artificial light of the room, the portal closed with the slightest of whispers.   
  
'Good evening Captain. Stand by for decon....' came a static-filled male voice over a small wall-mounted intercom.   
  
Captain Talaria simply nodded, her long back hair rustling slightly as she awaited the process to begin. Seconds later, bright red light flooded the small chamber and Talaria felt her gray skin tingle as the rays sought any fragment of Earth-born contamination and obliterated it with radiation humankind wouldn't discover for hundreds of years.   
  
'Almost done Captain. Final wash commencing...now.' came the scratchy voice from the far wall.   
  
Closing her eyes, Talaria felt the wash of warm green light flood over her body and for long seconds, her entire body felt as if bathed in liquid fire. The wonderful sensation began to fade and with a loud 'BUZZ' the heavy iron door opened as she stepped out into the hallway that lead to the Central Command Chamber, or 3C for short.   
  
"Captain.." came the respectful address and sharp salute of the Sergeant as Talaria emerged from the room and noticed his presence. Dressed in a very similar style as his immediate commander, Tartan was clad in the same dark grayish-blue form fitting uniform, with only a single star burst on each shoulder lapel as compared to the dual burst on Talaria's. He was also without a Dimensional Cloak; another benefit of rank.  
  
Bringing her right hand up perpendicular with her body, the Captain of the Advance Tactical Guard returned the salute as her arm bent at the elbow, her hand balled into a clenched fist as it now rested over her heart. "Report Sergeant Tartan." she commanded as one measured step became two and the pair--with Tartan a respectful half step behind her--began the long walk to 3C.   
  
"We are still attempting to track the boy's energy signature Captain. After downloading geophysical maps from local Human computers, we are able to track him to within 2.6 miles of his current location."  
  
Talaria narrowed her eyes, the facial feature easing into small yellow slits of annoyance. "2.6 miles is a lot of ground to cover Sergeant.." she observed, more than slightly stressing Tartan's rank.   
  
"My apologizes Captain, but we are having trouble with the tracking systems. That is the best we can do at this time."  
  
Resisting the urge to sigh, Talaria continued..."I need a better lock that that Sergeant. The system is supposed to be more accurate than our own internal senses, yet I can track them to half that distance on my own. How much time is needed to tune the systems so we can receive a more positive lock?"  
  
There was a slight pause in the air as all that could be heard was the 'clop-clop' of boots upon a concrete-like substance. Noticing the delay in answering her question, Talaria looked over her shoulder. "Well...?"  
  
Tarkin sighed and looked at his commanding officer. "Permission to speak freely ma'am?"  
  
Blinking, she nodded as it was extremely rare for the Sergeant to ask for such a privilege. Over the course of her lifetime she could remember only one other moment he asked for such a favor, and that was a good 300 years ago. "Granted."  
  
"Talania, the last report suggested that it /can't/ be fixed; at least not with great deal of difficulty and time. The system is ancient, even by our standards. We don't have the personnel, energy, or parts to repair it properly. We're lucky the damm thing is even works as well as it does."  
  
Now it was her turn to sigh as she looked at her old friend. "It's that bad?"  
  
"It is. The General has diverted most of the available energy to the Orb so there's not much left to support anything but basic operations. We are in /bad/ shape Talaria and it's only going to get worse."  
  
Eyes widening, the Captain looked at her tan-skinned friend as she noticed his own normally blood red eyes seemed full of defeat; an emotion she had never seen there before.   
  
"The energy I have sent back has done nothing to help?"  
  
"Oh, yes, it has. Medical wanted me personally thank you for allocating it to them. Draining all of those humans in the middle of a heat wave was brilliant since it provided both energy for us and a perfect cover for our operations. Rumor is your in for a medal for that one."  
  
A soft laugh escaped Talaria's lips; a sound Tartan hadn't heard in long while. "Strategic planning 101 my friend..." she said, but paused as a wave of melancholy passed through her. "I had hoped that it would have been more helpful though."  
  
"We take what we can Captain..." reassured the man. "But this human boy is going to be a major victory once we claim his energy."  
  
"Has Science figured out why his power levels are so high for a human?" she asked, the tone of the conversation once again slipping back into that of a commander and her subordinate.   
  
Recognizing the change, Tartan pulled himself to attention and shook his head. Once again, the pair started walking towards the command center. "No, Captain. Whatever power he possesses is enough to trigger our remaining sensors, but we can't figure out /what/ kind of power is backing such a high life-force count. All we know is it's...huge."  
  
"What factor do you think he is?"  
  
"Most conservative guess?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"X."  
  
Almost stumbling, Talaria blinked and looked back as Tartan slowly nodded to assure her she had heard correctly.   
  
"He's an X-factor?"   
  
"At /least/."  
  
"By the Dark Spirit! That's as high as...."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am it is. The General wanted to debrief you and bring you up to speed once you cleared decontamination."  
  
Absently nodding in reply, Talaria took a moment to compose herself. **A X factor human is nearly unheard of! If I can just get his energy, the Queen....**  
  
"Which I was expecting to do about 2 minutes ago Sergeant." came a voice that cut through the air like a knife.   
  
Looking over, both Captain and Sergeant saluted the base commander as General Nadia seemingly appeared from the shadows the long hallway provided.  
  
"At ease Captain...Sergeant."  
  
"My apologizes General Nadia. I was bringing the Captain up to date on a few matters but delayed in my duties as a result. Whatever form of punishment you deem worthy will...."  
  
There was a slight smile as Nadia looked at her right hand officer and shook her head. "No need for that Sergeant. You were simply doing your duties and it took longer than you estimated. Were I to punish everyone who simply needed an extra minute to do their duties properly everyone would be in the brig and the base would be left to run by the politicians!"  
  
A quiet smile passed over both lips of the lower-ranking officers as the momentary tension evaporated. The last thing any of them wanted was the few remaining political officers of the Realm command a military installation.   
  
Things were bad enough already.   
  
Nodding slightly to Tartan, the General turned to Talania giving clear indication that the Sergeant's presence was no longer required.   
  
Noticing the subtle hint, the man saluted both his superiors and slipped back down the hallway until even the 'clop-clop' of his boots had faded to nothing.   
  
Without another word the General turned and started walking towards 3C and now it was Talania who followed a respectful half-step behind.   
  
A good minute of time had passed in start quiet when Nadias' voice broke the still. "Why didn't you get the boy's energy Talania?"  
  
Having expected the question the woman replied immediately. "I was going to General, but an opportune moment did not present itself."  
  
Not even glancing back, Nadia frowned. "Explain."  
  
Taking a quiet breath, Talania answered. "The power readings I was receiving from him was higher than expected General. That, combined with the presence of numerous other Humans made an attack unwise. The only solution at the time was to attack the complex they were inside and drain everyone present. And, with all due respect General, your standing order negated that option from the start. So I felt the best course of action was to return to base, pick up whatever intelligence Tartan had learned and create a new strategy taking into account his higher-than-expected power levels."  
  
Nadia didn't answer as the bright light of their destination bathed each woman in the soft white light as each entered the opening and the massive room came fully into view.   
  
A hundred feet long and at least half that high, the room was one giant strategic planning center. Massive computer banks lined the far wall, each one capable of processing a million /million/ bits of data per second. The back wall was a holographic projection of The Realm, with every bit of current data being constantly updated and added to the grids that seem to hang in midair. To their backs and left of the door was several star charts used to track and harness stellar energy to augment teleportation between dimensions to avoid tapping into the dwindling energy reserves the base so carefully guarded. Finally, in the center of the room rested on single chair. It was upon that seat that General Nadia oversaw each facet of her base's operations. Padded in black leather, the stainless steel armrests wide and filled with numerous controls that could bring a wide array of information from the computer banks to be projected holographically at her beck and call.   
  
But for the moment the General did not assume her normal place in the center of this 'web of information' as the tonal change in Talania's explanation had most of her attention at this second.  
  
"I take it you would have preferred to attack the complex and drain everyone's energy?"  
  
"My...preferences... were not taken into consideration when policy was made General. Therefore, they have no place when making decisions while on a mission."  
  
Nadia blinked, then stepped a bit closer as she lowered her voice. Yet it was not the cold, firm tone of command that escaped her lips, but rather the warmer voice of concern for a fellow officer.   
  
"Talania. You know of my reasons for General Order One. The last thing we want..or /need/...to do is draw attention to ourselves. A pitched battle with...THEM...is only a call for disaster in the making. Besides, I have lost too many good soldiers to the madness of revenge. I do not wish to loose you too. We shall have our victory Talania. On that I promise. Our great Queen will be reborn and then all of Earth shall be ours. But we need time to plan, to heal. To build our strength. You know this correct?"  
  
Talania couldn't believe the look in her commander's eyes before the elder woman looked away for a second. All she could see what the General's midnight black cloak and the dark gray tints of the uniform that covered her shoulders. A small sliver of light reflected off the gold hexagon that denoted her rank as Nadia turned back with only the slightest hint of moisture in her eyes.   
  
Looking down at the floor, the Captain nodded. "I do General."  
  
It was only then Nadia turned back towards her subordinate. "Then you wish to die like the others? So many like.....?"  
  
Bristling at the name about to be spoken, Talania looked at Nadia with the look of pure anger in her yellow-hued eyes. "You know they must /pay/ for what they have done! Yet each day we sneak around like some common vermin, surviving on the scraps of energy we can steal from a few worthless humans! We must return to the old ways! To rage, to conquer! That is our call!"  
  
A few low level workers glances over at the Captain's voice started to rise above the din of the room but quickly looked away and back to their duties as a sharp glare from General Nadia changed their minds about listening in.   
  
Narrowing her own eyes, Nadia looked upon her subordinate with a passionate understanding at her frustrations. "I know how you feel Talania! Do you think I like the game we must play to stay alive? Each day I must make decisions that could cause the deaths of those under my command because we did not have the energy to support their homes any further, leaving them to fend against the cold outside. But to invite a final battle now would be suicide and I am NOT prepared to give THEM that easy a final victory! Are you Captain?"  
  
Shocked by the emotion in her commander's voice, Talania stood there frozen as her mind tried to work out a balance between the logic that the General had presented and the urges of her own heart to seek revenge against those who had killed her closest friend in all the Realm.   
  
Against those who took her sister.   
  
Taking a final deep breath to calm down, Talania came to attention and saluted her commanding officer. "No Ma'am! I shall not give them what they so desire. I will fight, with every ounce of strength and cunning I possess to see them punished for what they have done!"  
  
Nodding ever so slightly, Nadia smiled and regarded her subordinate for a long moment before speaking. "Report to me in three standard hours Captain. Eat and rest, for when you return to Earth you have but one goal beyond all others: capture that human boy's energy for the greater glory of the Realm!"  
  
With a firm nod, the woman saluted once again and turned, ignoring the glances of those below her as she walked out a small door that led to the private quarters sector of the base. After a few moments the echoes of her boots faded and a strained quiet filled the air of the control center.   
  
With a glance to those around her, Nadia made it all-too-clear that now was not the time to be lacking direction. Within seconds, there was a flurry of subtle motion as the lower-ranking officers and enlisted personal went back to their jobs.   
  
Smiling to herself, the Supreme Commander of the began to walk towards the same door as Talania had used minutes ago. A slight pause filled her step, then without a moment of wasted motion she angled slightly until she was standing in front of the ancient tracking system that...at present...was about as useful as throwing a flower at a speeding vehicle to stop it.   
  
A wry smile echoed over her lips, Nadia making a mental note to consider her sarcasm more accurately in the future as the looked at the computer. The system was old by anyone's standards, but up until today had proven useful despite its advanced years. Now, a circuit buried deep in the hardware had failed, causing the imaging packets to malfunction. The end result is that a supernova could detonate in the middle of the Realm, and the tracing probes would be hard pressed to find the epicenter. Finding one human boy--no matter how seemingly powerful--in the middle of a rather large human city was something just as hard at the current time..  
  
A hint of red caught her attention and Nadia turned to a technician as he passed by, lost in a small chart of numbers and dimensional physics that would...quite admittedly ...give even her a severe migraine.   
  
"Private...?"  
  
The passing technician stopped and looked up, at first irritated at being interrupted. But as his eyes saw who had spoken and that, combined with his brain putting the voice with the face, caused him to immediately become very UN-irritated.   
  
Saluting, the man looked at his commanding officer. Outside, he was the picture of a solider at attention; his gray uniform immaculate as the red shoulder sash-- indicative of the Science Division--lay neatly wrapped around the shoulder of his left arm.   
  
Inside, he was in dire need of clean undergarments.   
  
"Progress report?" asked the General in a tone that made it clear good news should lead off the summary.   
  
Without a second's hesitation he replied. "We have made some progress Ma'am. The burnt circuit card has been found, and the Commander..." he paused, nodding over to another Science Division member who's sash clearly indicated the rank mentioned..."is fashioning a makeshift replacement. We should have the system up in four standard hours."  
  
"Excellent work Private. Please give my regards to your Commander."  
  
"Thank you Ma'am. I will." he said, grateful that she was happy with the news.   
  
"However, you have 2 standard hours to get the system working."  
  
Blinking, the man looked at the chart in his hands, then at his Commanding officer who had heard enough of the last command that his brow was arched considerably. It was clear that what she was asking for was pressing the law of time, physics, and nature to have such a complicated job done in so short a time. Despite his training, the Private felt he /had/ to protest against such impossible orders and was about to do so when a look crossed her eyes that stopped him short.   
  
"And if it is not completed, you and your division will personally find out what life is like in the Outlands on a 2 week survival expedition."  
  
At that moment the private realized that....with all things considered...the boundaries of time, physics and nature were are really just /guidelines/ to go by; it wasn't like they were /rules/ or anything.   
  
Saluting, he nodded and walked with a rather speedy pace of to his Commander. A few hushed whispers later the Commander blinked once, then twice, and soon several extremely focused orders were given to his crew and the team began working at an increased speed.  
  
Smiling, Nadia turned, her cape fluttering a little with the motion and resumed the walk towards her living quarters to enjoy a brief rest herself. The next few hours would go by quickly enough, and she had to be ready for what would come next.   
  
For the sake of them /ALL/, she must be prepared.   
  
**So hard to believe...** the woman mused as the long walk to her quarters diminished slowly with each measured step...**the fate of our Queen, and the Realm itself, is now dependent on one small Human.**  
  
The irony was not lost upon Nadia as the Warrior-General paused at her door and keyed the access code. A soft chime of acceptance filled the long hallway and she slipped inside to dwell on the rather weighty matters that filled her mind.   
  
  
Yolei gently propped on her right shoulder, watching the gentle rise and fall of Izzy's chest as her lover dozed deeply, only half-covered by the bed sheet. His face held a contentment so genuine that she would be hard pressed to find another soul--besides herself at that very moment--who could understand the feelings that now filled them both.   
  
She never meant for it to happen; a simple hug gave in thanks for helping to solve a long-standing problem. But in the space of a single heartbeat, a hug became a kiss that evolved into blazing passion as each moment they shared urged them onwards towards the inevitable conclusion.   
  
But instead of regret, Yolei found herself beaming with happiness as she replayed those last few minutes of their shared passion in her mind. Izzy had been everything she would have wanted in her first lover, and the young man had treated her with a gentleness beyond belief. But now in the still of the night, long after the passion had faded, Yolei found her mind racing as to decide what should happen next. She cared for Izzy a great deal, but did she love him? The word had never passed between them, yet she /knew/ what had happened was more than just racing hormones.  
  
But what /exactly/ that something else was remained an unsolved mystery.  
  
A yawn interrupted her musings, her body reminding that she should be asleep due to her exam in the morning. Such deep and life-changing thoughts, while necessary, should be postponed for now and dealt with later.   
  
Smiling contentedly, Yolei easily slipped back under the covers next to Izzy. Soon she was dreaming of the passionate young man next to her, and was comforted by the sense of happiness she would carry forever.   
  
Thus, she failed to hear the door to the apartment open a few minutes later and missed the gentle footfalls of Mr. and Mrs. Izumi returning early from their romantic weekend, their time together a causality of overbooking by the hotel and no rooms available until days later.   
  
"Should be let Izzy know we're home dear?" asked Yoshie as she put their overnight bags beside the sofa as her husband locked the door.   
  
Shaking his head, Masami smiled. "He's at the movies remember? He and Matt had tickets to go see that Gao Gai something..."   
  
With a slightly sly grin, his wife nodded while wrapping her arms around him. "Then since our window of opportunity has unexpectedly reopened, might I suggest we take advantage of it?"  
  
Smiling at his wife's good sense and clear thinking, Masami picked her up and disappeared into the master bedroom pausing only to shut the door behind them. Now, with minds occupied on more intimate matters, the pair failed to notice the scattered and half-finished homework on the dining room table.   
  
Such observations, and their revelations, would come with the dawn.   
  
.(To Be Continued....)  
  
  
  
Authors Notes!  
1) HELLO! First off, thanks for being patient with me since I haven't published anything since October. I'll be honest: working for Bouncy Happy Smiley Face simply wore me out for the holidays and I just didn't have the time or energy to write. Now that the worse is over, I hope get more posted in the next few weeks.   
2) Thanks to Chris McFeely, Don Redmond, Kymera and everyone else who did some proofreading and assorted kicks in the rear to help me get motivated!  
3) This is a short addition. I wanted to get much further but this is the best thing for me at the moment. Rest assured, the next chapter will be worth the wait as Talania attacks! Can Matt save himself without revealing who and what he is to Amy?? What's going on with Tai? Will Yolei and Izzy be found out by his parents? Who or what is The Realm, and how does Myotismon fit into their plans?? Tune in next chapter and find out!  
4) To everyone awaiting Ashes to Ashes, it's coming. Promise!! It just needs to be a bit bigger than I thought!  
4) Thanks everyone!! Enjoy!!  
  
F_M 


	6. Of Crests and Planets--5--Conversation b...

Authors Notes:  
------------------  
1) I don't own Digimon.   
2) I wanted to get a bit further with this chapter but I felt I should post what I've got. More to come soon.  
3) No big fights or hugs plot revelations in this part everyone; just a guy, a gal some light conversation and a few cameos.   
4) Up next for Crests and Planets: The Realm attacks! What secrets will Matt reveal to keep them safe?!  
5) It's been asked by some what possible connection these two could have. Don't worry...it's coming .....  
  
Summary:  
  
After the events chronicled in 'Final Destiny, New Beginnings', the DigiDestined were now free to find their own lives back in the real world. But it seems that even now trouble is stalking one member of the team. Horrible nightmares have plagued Matt since returning; even to the point of accidentally hurting Izzy when the latter came over to drop off some movie tickets. Trying to relax, Matt goes alone to the theater waiting for Izzy who never shows as the young computer expert and Yolei find they have more in common than crunching numbers. At the same time a strange illness strikes Tai but just as suddenly is gone, leaving Sora worried. And finally, a new player enters Matt's life and an unexpected run-in at the theater forcasts great changes in the young man's life--IF he survives the watchful gaze of extra-dimensional agents determined to take his life force no matter the cost. And now,.....  
  
  
'Of Crests and Planets' chapter 5--"Conversation by Candlelight"  
  
Sora gently turned off the TV and set the popcorn bowl to the side as Tai's gentle breathing indicated he was out like a light. With a soft smile the young woman tugged the afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over them both as she snuggled into the crook of Tai's arm and happily started to drift off to sleep.   
  
In the Izumi residence, two pairs of lovers-one old and comfortable, the other new and uncertain- dozed in quiet contentment as events of the night played through their minds. Each had no knowledge of the other, but would that ignorance-inspired bliss survive the mornings light?  
  
"You have /got/ to be kidding me..." mummered the young man as he brought the motorbike to a low idle, looking down the smallest side-street he had ever seen.   
  
"Uhm...not wanting to doubt you Amy," Matt began hesistantly..."but are you sure this is the right place?". Not really wanting to call her directions into question since this was her hometown, but the lack of anything visable did raise a small amount of concern.   
  
His passengers hands slowly separated one from the other, her fingers unlocking and lessening the gentle grasp around Matt's waist. Her right hand pointed to the far corner of the road, shaded by shadows and sparsely illuminated by light from some fading source.   
  
"Right down there Matt, on the right corner, beside that moped shop...." directed the young woman as she saw Matt's head shift slightly, following her guidance until she saw his head nod in understanding.   
  
Before his eyes was the traditional stripped awning that most Italian restaurants used, fluttering briskly in the early morning breeze. A soft green glow seemed to highlight the spot a bit as his eyes adjusted enough to the dark ally enough to finally see the flickering sign in the window.   
  
**I hope this place is better on the inside than on the out...** mused the young man as he kept his doubt to himself.   
  
"Sure they're still open?" is what is asked out loud, blinking as he felt her fingers intertwine once more in front of..and gently on...his stomach. But for some strange reason, he didn't object to the motion. In actuality ...if felt kind of...nice.   
  
Nodding, Amy smiled. "Leo and his brothers keep the place open twenty-four hours Matt. Being only a few miles from the Juuban College grounds, they are the only choice this time of night if anyone wants to eat off campus."  
  
"Makes sense I guess." he admitted before turning around to look at Amy. Once again his eyes caught hers and it took all of Matt's formidable willpower to look away without being trapped by their cobalt hold. "You..ready...?" he managed to get out as he turned back towards his gauges trying to calm the strange feelings that were now churning inside from even such a momentarily glance.   
  
Amy too felt the same sense of emotion trying to overwhelm her. With all of her equally strong focus she looked down the street and nodded, not quite yet trusting her voice as her guts were still being invaded by opposing armies of butterflies.   
  
Sensing the nod more than seeing it, Matt kicked the bike into gear and slowly coasted towards the restaurant.   
  
Reaching the storefront, Matt eased the bike beside a telephone pole and came to a stop. With a flip of the ignition the motor throttled down, then off, as soft 'pings' could now be heard from the cooling engine. A quick kick of his right foot and the kick stand came down, ready to support the motorcycle as Matt gently leaned it over towards the pole.   
  
Satisfied that it was safe to remove her helmet, Amy did so and ran her slender fingers through her blue-tinted hair. Slightly fluffing the mass the smiled as Matt's own helmet came off and his golden yellow mane cascaded back into its natural position.   
  
They sat in silence for a few moments until Amy's voice echoed off the brick walls of the urban canyon. "So, what do you think Matt...?" asked the young woman as she took a few moments to compose herself from the rather brisk ride from the theater to this point.   
  
Looking over the restaurants facade, Matt debated on how to answer. The place was old; the peeling paint and faded wooden border around the large window gave testament to that fact. The green neon 'OPEN' sign flickered as if in it's death throws, seemingly staying lit by sheer force of will. Cast in the flickering glow was the picture of four smiling men, each apparently a caricature of the owners of 'Four Brothers Pizza'; the name itself looking a bit more colorful than the surrounding 'times of operation' scrawled in green paint and placed in the lower right corner.   
  
Matt weighted his options carefully. One the one hand, this place screamed 'dive' and was, at least on the outside, rapidly making his top ten list of places to not come back too. However, Amy seemed to like it; otherwise she wouldn't have suggested it in the first place, open this time or not.   
  
It was then Matt realized that a negative response to her query could in fact be quite painful for his passenger and that fact alone caused a bit more anxiety to build in his gut.   
  
**Why is this girl so important to me?? I just met her! And it's not like I'm ever going to see her again, so why am I going out of my way to be so nice?**  
  
With no answer forthcoming to his question, Matt mentally shrugged and decided that he was just being nice because she didn't seem to get out much. Giving her a night of fun was the least he could do for her...   
  
Again, he ignored the feeling of disbelief that surfaced at the end of that little piece of rationalization.   
  
"Look like it's got a lot of character Amy. Can't wait to try it..." he said, turning and putting on his best cheesy grin.   
  
Amy laughed, her soft voice bringing a smile to Matt's lips. "I know, it looks horrible on the outside, but I believe you will like the food."  
  
Blinking, Matt wondered if she was always this perceptive of what he was thinking, or if this was just a rare night.   
  
"Well then, lets go see..." he stated, climbing off the bike and began the process of locking it up.   
  
Smiling, Amy nodded and put her helmet on the hook along the seats left side, easing off and standing up stretching slightly. "I'll go in and find us a spot..." she volunteered, needing a few moments alone to compose herself as the butterflies in her stomach started to multiply exponentially.   
  
Looking up from locking the engine Matt nodded, grateful for a few moments to compose himself. All these unwelcome thoughts were starting to become a distraction and he needed to put them into place.   
  
"Sounds good Amy. I'll be right in..." as Matt took out a thick chair and padlock from under the seat and began to wrap it around the handlebars and telephone to secure the bike.   
  
With a smile Amy nodded and slipped inside, setting off the little bell overhead as seconds later the door closed with a thud, separating Matt from the young woman for the first time since their meeting a few short hours ago.   
  
Sighing, Matt stood and leaned against his bike, trying to honestly understand what was happening to him and why.   
  
**First, that warning from...whoever...in the Digital World. Then that nightmare. And then Izzy. I still can't /believe/ I did that to him!** Matt angrily growled at himself. **Then that stupid hallucination in the bathroom and now...**   
  
It was then he paused and took a long look up into the clear sky. The heavens were aglow with the light of a thousand stars, each one as mysterious to him now as the day he first looked up and asked what they were at his fathers side those many years ago.   
  
"Now what Ishidia?" he asked himself quietly as a cool wind drifted over his thoughtful gaze. "Why am I so comfortable around a girl I just met? Why is it I can't get her eyes out of my mind? Why... how does she do /this/ to me?!" he almost snarled, discovering that the unknown 'this' was the main root of the problem.   
  
With a dejected sigh, Matt realized there were no easy answers. **There never have been, so why should they start now...** he sarcastically reasoned. Unable to find a solution, Matt did what he did best: forcing all his doubt, worries and hesitation into one ball, he crammed it deep within himself. Now free to ignore the confusion they caused, he could now focus on what needed to be accomplished.   
  
A quick diner out, drop Amy off, and then go home.   
  
Simple. Neat. Normal. /That/ is what the rest of the night would be.   
  
Matt turned and checked all his locks one final time and took a last calming breath. Grateful that he could now focus on the matter at hand Matt ignored the growling in his stomach and, with a pair of measured steps, he was at the door. A simple jerk and the door opened. Stepping inside, the smells and sounds of the restaurant filled his nose and ears.   
  
A minute or two earlier, Amy paused as the door gently 'clicked' into place as she simply closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.   
  
A thousands thoughts tried to crowd her mind, but she focused on those most important at this very moment.   
  
**Why is it I can't seem to focus around him??** the young woman asked herself. It was more than simple case of being distracted; several years of study groups with Serena and their friends was proof of that. Between Serena and Rei's arguing, Amy had learned rather quickly how to tune out the real world and focus on her studies instead. That ability to focus had been a blessing in dealing with a lot of circumstances the young doctor-to-be had run into.   
  
But with Matt, it was so very different. The life she knew so well simply wasn't something she cared about when she was around him.   
  
**Why??** she asked herself, not for the first time this evening. Was it his hauntingly blue eyes, so much like clouds swirling within the heart of a storm. And behind that gaze was...what? Every fiber of her being wanted to know, but yet something kept her from looking further. It was as if part of her mind didn't want to see...to know...what was behind that powerful gaze.   
  
As she again ran several fingers through her own hair, Amy's mind drifted to Matt's own golden hair. **It suits him...** she thought. **Wild and untamed, answering to no one but himself...**  
  
It was then Amy's logical side chided her for being reduced to thinking such romantic drivel. **He's a boy you just met and...and...you don't know him! Besides, you have more important things to worry about! Remember you start Monday as a teachers' assistant and you need to be focused on that! Being a doctor and getting the grades you need is more important than any nice thoughts about some boy!**   
  
Unable to resist such a logical argument, Amy took all the doubts, thoughts and feelings about Matt and shoved them down deep where they would not bother her again this night.   
  
Exhaling, Amy slowly opened her eyes and with a grim look of dedication she ignored the protests of her heart and was now completely determined to have a nice, normal, quiet evening out.   
  
They would eat then afterwards Matt would drop her off at home. After a good nights rest, she could use the weekend to prepare for Monday.   
  
This was going to be nothing more than a simple, normal weekend.   
  
The bell behind her rang once more and Amy turned, confident she simply needed to be polite company and get this evening over as fast as possible.   
  
For both their sakes.   
  
"Found a spot yet Amy?"  
  
Blinking, she quickly flashed a gentle smile and nodded, despite the fact finding a place had been the very last thing on her mind up until the moment Matt said something about it.   
  
"Right over there..." she pointed towards a simple corner table on the far right wall, try to act as if she had put intense thought to selecting a place.   
  
As Matt followed her directions, he surveyed the decor. The restaurant was a simple square, with booths along the front, right, and back walls. The left wall held the rest rooms, a multicolored jukebox and a small partition that separated the dining room from the kitchen. The center of the room had tables; some separate for smaller groups, some shoved together for larger groups and perhaps birthday parties. Every one had the traditional red and white checkerboard tablecloth with all the normal accessories. The booths were padded in red vinyl while the tables had simple but sturdy wooden chairs. A low pile green carpet with a brown mosaic turtle-shell pattern rested upon the floor.   
  
"Looks good to me.." grinning the young man as he motioned for Amy to go first.   
  
Ignoring the blush that crept to her cheeks brought on by Matt's good manners, Amy walked quietly over and sat down. Smoothing her skirt, she watched as her companion joined her on the opposite side.   
  
The silence was deafening.  
  
Leo Yoshi peeked around the corner and peered into the dining room, sure he had heard the bell ring. As his eyes adjusted from the brightness of the kitchen to the more subtle glow of the main room, he spotted a couple on the far wall close to the corner.   
  
Smiling, Leo grabbed two menus and started to walk over when the profile of the young woman on his left struck a cord of recognition. A flash of surprise ran over his features as he had never seen Amy visit this late, and not without one or more of her friends in tow.   
  
But upon seeing the company she had this evening, the look of surprise melded into one of interest as it seemed that perhaps this trip was more like 'first date' than 'ladies night out'.   
  
With a quick shake of his head, Leo started back once more towards the booth trying not to think how this turn of events would effect his brother and /his/ plans to ask Amy out.   
  
Matt shifted ever so slightly as neither he--and apparently Amy--could think of anything to say. The weather, the movie, the ride over; all the harmless topics of interest had been covered up to this point, either outside the theater or over shouted queries while on the bike.  
  
But the newness of their friendship was a duel-edged sword; on one hand there was a lot to discover about the other. The bad part was knowing what was off-limits and what was fair game.   
  
A shadow broke into Matt's attempt to find something to break the ice as a man in his early 20's appeared. Dressed in a royal blue knit shirt, he looked to be 6'1" and around 180 pounds with coal black hair and hazel eyes. His proportioned frame suggested a regular exercise program or an incredibly high metabolism. Khaki dockers and plain brown work loafers completed his look as a wide grin seemed to be plastered over his face.   
  
"Amy, how are you doing?"  
  
Smiling, the young woman secretly thanked the powers that be for something to break the uneasy silence.   
  
"I'm doing fine Leo. I hope you don't mind us dropping by this late..." Amy asked, not wanting to be an inconvenience even if they were open 24 hours a day.   
  
"Of course not. You and your friends are always welcomed! Well, trying to give us some advance warning when Serena's coming with you so we can stock up on extra supplies!" and with that both began to laugh, leaving Matt feeling he was missing out on some private joke.   
  
Matt watched the two laugh for several more seconds as his mind turned inward as a unusual thought ran through it: how well did this 'Leo' guy know Amy, and why did hearing them laugh together make his stomach do flip-flops?  
  
"Nice to meet you Matt..."  
  
Blinking, the former DigiDestined mentally shook the cobwebs from his head and noticed the outstretched hand. Quickly realizing that Amy must have introduce him while he was mentally occupied, Matt took the hand and shook it firmly.   
  
"Same here Leo. Amy says your food's the best so I've been anxious to give it a shot..".   
  
Grinning at the compliment, Leo shook Matt's hand for a long second before letting go and giving Amy a look. "Free praise won't earn you free food Amy, but thanks anyway."  
  
Laughing, Amy tried to ignore the blush that filled her cheeks and simply enjoyed the moment, relaxing somewhat as the butterflies in the gut seemed to finally calm down.   
  
Setting the two menus down, Leo pulled out a small lighter and lit the two candles in the napkin holder. Slowly the glow grew in intensity and soon a romantic feel seemed to encompass the table.   
  
With a slight grin of satisfaction, Leo placed the menus in front of each and smoothly took out his order pad. "While you two are debating, what can I get you to drink?"  
  
Matt's first thought was to ask for a beer, but a extra seconds' reflection on that made him decide that could convey the wrong message to his dinner companion. Besides, he didn't want to take /any/ chances with getting Amy home safely.   
  
"I'll take a soda, something citrus if you have it."  
  
"Water with lemon please for me Leo."  
  
Nodding at the selections, Leo jotted them down and smiled once more. "Okay. Be right back and I'll get your food orders then." and he was off, using his long strides to return to the kitchen and get their beverages.   
  
"He seems nice enough. Must be tough to run your own place..." observed Matt, trying to find a nice, neutral subject to pass the time while glancing over the colorful menu and to keep that dreadful silence from settling back into place.   
  
Nodding, Amy agreed as she didn't study the menu as hard as her companion; the selections already memorized by subsequent trips.   
  
"They've only been open about a year or so. I was talking to Don and they should pay off most of their grand opening expenses this month. After that, other than monthly supplies and depreciation on the equipment, they should be turning a nice profit."  
  
Glancing up, Matt gave her a quizzical look. "Don?"  
  
Tinting red, Amy smiled. "Sorry. Don is Leo's younger brother. He's the accountant of the business."  
  
Matt nodded as he spotted a right delicious looking entree, but paused as he thought of something.   
  
"You seem to know a lot about them. You must come here at least once a week..."  
  
Laughing, she nodded. "Try three times a week at least. I also helped them file their partnership paperwork with the local Better Business Bureau as well as helped them find a good legal advisor."  
  
/THAT/ caused Matt to look up fully from the menu and he gave Amy an impressed look. "You understand all that stuff...?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Sure. It's not that hard Matt..." explained the young woman..."just a matter of timing and proper planning, not to mention having the right forms filled out in advance."  
  
Amy went on to explain some of the benefits, grateful Matt was interested in learning about her involvement in the restaurant. Besides, having something other than her own personal life to discuss would make sure Matt wouldn't die of boredom.   
  
Matt nodded, bored beyond belief. Business matters such as this never interested him, but Amy seemed to want to brag a little and he felt it was a good way to keep the conversation without having to reveal too much about himself, nor having to pry into Amy's life to keep the banter going.   
  
Nodding, he listened as she started to describe how a partnership was different than a limited partnership, and the advantages of each.   
  
Grabbing two translucent amber glasses, Leo filled each with ice from the bin and proceeded to fill them with Matt and Amy's choice of drink. A 'clang' of metal against metal drew his attention from the soda fountain back towards the little corner where his brother was working on the main heating element of the larger of their two ovens.   
  
"Don?"   
  
No answer came from his sibling; his head was bowed in meticulous repair on one of their oven's main heating element.   
  
"Don?" he somewhat asked louder, trying to overcome the background noise of the kitchen.   
  
Hearing his name, Don Yoshi looked up, his chestnut brown eyes narrowing at being interrupted right in the middle of work. Pulling off the magnifying lenses, the 17 year-old took a moment to fix his dark brown hair as the glasses safety strap glasses messed it up considerably, then turned to his elder brother.   
  
"What is it Leo? I've got to get this element fixed or we can kiss this months profit good-bye as it goes out the door for a new oven! There's no way the back-up oven can handle another Saturday night like this one was..." shot back Don, a bit frustrated as repairs had not been going as well at all.  
  
Leo blinked, a bit taken back by Don's heavy tone of annoyance. It was only a few seconds later his younger brother gave him a apologetic glance.   
  
"Sorry Leo, I shouldn't have got that upset with you. What's up?" he asked, stretching his 6' frame for a moment before tucking the tail of the purple knit T-shirt into his black denim jeans.  
  
With a shrug Leo let the matter go and gave his younger brother a smile. "Well, your not going to believe this but...."  
  
Don sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please don't tell me the ceiling fan came loose and flew across the room again...?"   
  
Laughing softly, Leo shook his head. "Nope, but something just as serious. Well, for you anyway..."  
  
Blinking, Don followed is sibling's gaze towards the dining room and peered between the ornamental spindles that ran vertically from the top of the partition to the tiled ceiling.   
  
There he saw Amy Mizuno, whom he had a crush on since day one, laughing and talking with someone who--at this distance--looked almost like....  
  
Spinning around, Don gave his brother a 'that can't be who it looks like can it?' look to which Leo nodded.   
  
"Yep. Mr. Matt Ishida, lead singer of the Teenage Wolves."  
  
"I would have never figured Amy for a groupie..." mummered Don as he took another glance just to make sure.   
  
"Actually, I don't think she even knows. I wasn't sure until I went to take their order."  
  
Don blinked and gave Leo a cock-sided glance. "How could she not know? He's only part of the biggest local group to exist in the past couple of years."  
  
"In Odiba maybe, but here in Juuban?"  
  
Blinking, Don nodded in agreement. "Well, that's true. This place wouldn't have sunshine if they didn't pump it in twice a week."  
  
A momentary pause filled the air before both began to laugh at the near-accuracy of Don's statement. It was only a good thirty seconds later Leo calmed down enough to clasp his brother on the shoulder.   
  
"You going to be okay?"  
  
Nodding, Don shrugged. "Going to have to be I guess. Wasn't meant to be I suppose. I just...waited too long..." he stated quite dejectedly.   
  
"Hey, you never know little bro. Maybe they're just friends...?" Leo suggested hopefully, but saw that his brother wasn't buying it.   
  
"Maybe..." was the soft reply before Don gave his brother a sad grin, going back to his work on the heating element.   
  
Leo, knowing his brother well enough to leave him be to deal with his heartfelt disappointment, turned and grabbed the drinks, taking them into the dining room. Seconds later he reached the occupied table and set the respective beverages in front of Matt and Amy.   
  
"So, have you two decided on what you want?"  
  
Nodding, Matt pointed to one of their specialty items. "I'll take the small lasagna with a side of spaghetti."  
  
"Sounds like a winner. How about you Amy? The usual...?"  
  
"Yes, please Leo. With lite dressing and extra croutons."  
  
"Got it. One lasagna with a side of spaghetti and one house salad with lite dressing. Be about 10 minutes..." and with that Leo took the menus and started back to the kitchen to place the order.   
  
"A salad?" asked Matt softly as he found it hard to believe with all the admittedly good looking choices on the menu, she picked something akin to what a cow could graze on should they get free reign of a garden, minus the dressing.   
  
With a still-tinted smile, Amy nodded. "I happen to like salad. Besides, all that meat can't be good for you..." she said with the barest hint of playfulness in her voice.   
  
"Better that than grazing like a cow..." he countered, feeling a wide grin spread across his own face of its own accord.   
  
Silence filled the booth until both began to laugh, each music to the others' ears.   
  
Leo paused and looked up as the laugher reached his ears, and he hoped his brother was unable to hear it. Suddenly, the door opened and his youngest sibling came in, bag of groceries in hand.   
  
"Heya Mikey. Get everything?" Leo asked as the bag was set down by the register.   
  
"Dude, they were wiped out. I got almost everything, but no way we've got the ingredients to do half the menu until the truck comes on Tuesday." Exhaling, the young man pulled the orange knit T-shirt out of his blue denim pants, trying to relax a little from the excursion.   
  
"Damm. Well, we'll have to make do with what we have. Do we have enough for a lasagna and side of spaghetti for a customer?" Leo asked, hoping he wouldn't have to disappoint a friend of Amy's simply because his supplier shorted him much- needed supplies on the previous weeks truck.   
  
"I should, but that will pretty much tap our meat for the sauces..." Mike stated as he shook his head, his young age of 15 belying his proficient skill at cooking anything that even /looked/ remotely Italian.   
  
Leo knew his little brother was right and sighed. "Fine, I'll tell Matt about the problem and see if he'll make another selection. You get the stuff in the cooler before something else goes wrong."  
  
"Matt who?" asked Mike as he scanned the dining room.   
  
"That guy...there..." pointed Leo towards the booth he and Amy shared... " ...he's Amy's date it seems."  
  
Mike followed his brothers gaze, his sandy blond hair shuffling and blue eyes adjusting to the lower light of the dining room. "Cool! Amy's got a boyfriend? 'Bout time...." he commented, giving the guy a quick but casual glance.   
  
Leo winced slightly and shot his brother a look that was far from being pleasant.   
  
"Oh man. Yea, that's right. How's Donnie taking it?"  
  
With a nod of his head, Leo pointed out the somber expression on their brothers' face and sighed. Mike's face quickly matched Leo's as the two stood there for a moment before the former blinked, and took another look over at the couple.   
  
Something about the guy started to nag at the back of his brain.  
  
"No way....!" quietly exclaimed the teen as he finally made out who the guy with Amy resembled.   
  
Leo knew that look in Mike's eyes and was about suggest discretion when a cry of 'Woah, I don't believe it!' erupted from the youngest of the Yoshi brothers and with a excited step Mike walked over towards the table.   
  
Leo shrugged, threw his hands up in surrender and grabbed the bag of supplies, making his way into the kitchen.   
  
"Do you know who you are??"   
  
Matt sighed and had heard that question more times than he could...or would...care to remember. Slipping on a well-practiced smile he looked up at the orange-clad teen.   
  
"Yep. I'm me." he said, trying to ignore the look of confusion growing on Amy's face. He wasn't going to bring this up, but it seems his limited popularity had once again worked against him.   
  
"But....dude...your're /you/!..." Mike oh-so-eloquently countered.   
  
With another shake of the head, Matt gave up, silently cursing the groups decision to do all the recent interviews with the 'teen scene' magazines. **Sure it helped sales..." ** mused Matt...**but I can't even enjoy a quite date with a girl since everyone is...going...to...**.   
  
Matt's inner voice trailed off as he realized what he just thought.   
  
A date.   
He was on a date.   
With Amy.   
He was on a date with Amy.  
  
**When did /that/ happen?!**   
  
Mentally, Matt was as confused inside as Amy was by the unusual conversational twist on the outside. **Since when did this become a date??** he yelled at himself, upset more than anything for letting his defenses slip. He wasn't supposed to enjoy this evening so much!  
  
Again with a shove of willpower Matt crammed the emerging confusion at his situation back down into the pit of his gut and ignored everything else other than the current conversation.   
  
With another practiced grin, Matt looked at his enthusiastic fan. "Yep, I'm him..." he replied. Seeing the look on Amy's face drift into a more confused state, he leaned over to explain but the teen in the orange shirt beat him to the punch.   
  
"Amy, you mean you don't know this is Matt Ishidia, lead singer in The Teenage Wolves??" Mike asked in disbelief as he too must have seen the look on the young woman's face.   
  
"The Teenage Wolves...?" slowly repeated Amy as if going through her mental rolodex to put something with the name.   
  
"Yea! He's just front man for the /greatest/ local bands to ever come outta Odiba!" beamed Mike as he was now officially floating on cloud nine.   
  
"We're not that great..." Matt said, trying to keep a modest appearance since puffing up and bragging was not the way he was going to impress anyone. Either they respected him and the group for their music and talent, or not at all.   
  
He wasn't out to be the most popular member, and that needed to be said.   
  
"...but we are improving. But it's a team effort for each song to get done properly...".   
  
"Not that great??!" exclaimed Mike as he started digging into his pocket, the sound of loose change jingling filled the air. After a moment or two, the excited teen pulled out a quarter and went over to the jukebox, the machine standing like a silent sentinel in the restaurants' back corner.   
  
"Oh no...." mummered Matt as he sat back helpless as the flush on his cheeks grew as Amy watched on with confused expectation.   
  
The 'plunk' of the quarter mirrored the same plummet Matt's heart was suffering from as he simply waited for the music to begin. He had-on purpose- avoided any mention of the musical side of his life to Amy. Too many of the guys he knew in other bands-and admittedly a few in his own, had used their statue to gain them several 'meaningful overnight relationships'. Despite the fact that afterward everyone seemed to part on good terms, Matt couldn't help be think how empty it would feel the day after watching someone you just spent the night with vanish into a crowd never to be seen again.   
  
Matt mentally shook his head, reminding himself that on several occasions he had been sorely tempted to take advantage of a few of the offers made to him; he was still at least human, despite the events of the past few years. And when someone takes off their top in front of your face, you tend to notice the little things like that with apparent haste.   
  
But as he looked over at Amy, a strange sense of pride filled the young man unexpectedly as now, looking back, he was proud to say that he hadn't gave into temptation.   
  
It was as if he was saving himself for someone...special.   
  
A searing guitar solo cut through the early morning quite of the dining room, drawing both Amy and Matt's attention to the grin-wearing Michael as he watched the look of recognition on Matt's face grow.   
  
**Of all the songs...** thought the young man as the intro music increased in intensity.   
  
Amy watched on, her focus split between watching the young man's face before her turn from embarrassment to surprise as the song was recognized. It was then a second sound-shattering rift caught her full attention as the young woman now turned towards the source of the sound.   
  
A sound she could only describe as musical lighting, striking hard against some unseen ground.   
  
It was then a voice drifted into her awareness; one belonging to the young man before her /and/ to a total stranger she had never laid eyes before.  
  
A stranger who would change her life beyond comprehension as the hours to come unfolded.....  
  
(TO BE CONTINUED.....) 


	7. Of Crests and Planets Ch 6Designs in the...

(Authors notes at bottom)  
  
Our story thus far:  
  
After the events chronicled in 'Final Destiny, New Beginnings', the DigiDestined were now free to find their own lives back in the real world. But it seems that even now trouble is stalking one member of the team. Horrible nightmares have plagued Matt since returning; even to the point of accidentally hurting Izzy when the latter came over to drop off some movie tickets. Trying to relax, Matt goes alone to the theater waiting for Izzy who never shows as the young computer expert and Yolei find they have more in common than crunching numbers. At the same time a strange illness strikes Tai but just as suddenly is gone, leaving Sora worried. A new player enters Mat's life as an unexpected run-in at the theater forecasts great changes to come...IF he survives the watchful gaze of extra-dimensional agents determined to take his life force! Having left the theater and unaware of the forces building against him, Matt takes Amy to a late dinner where the pair slowly begins to learn more about the other. But in that other dimension, final plans are being drawn; plans that will spell the death of Matt Ishida and the resurrection of the greatest evil our world has ever faced...  
And now...  
  
  
Of Crests and Planets pt 6--Designs in the Dark  
  
The door slid back slowly with silent effort as Nadia blinked once, then twice, as her visitor's identity became crystal clear. With a sigh of resignation she stepped back into her quarters and motioned for her unexpected guest to do the same.   
  
Talania followed her commander inside, only sitting down after being shot her a look that said if she was going to /be/ here, then she should be comfortable. Picking a small chair opposite Nadia, Talania eased down and crossed her legs awaiting the inevitable.   
  
"Unless my memory is starting to fade /Captain/..." Nadia began, stressing her subordinates' rank..."I ordered you to get some rest. Normally, 'rest' would involve you, in your quarters, asleep. Yet here you are, wide awake, and in my quarters. Am I in error about something then?" she asked, not letting the barest hint of the amusement she was feeling into her voice.   
  
Talania collected her thoughts for a moment, rose and then paced for several seconds before finally turning to face her superior. "No, General you are not in error. However, I found it...difficult...to rest when my earlier outburst in command was gnawing at me. Not only were they contrary to decorum, they were carried out in a public setting where morale could have been seriously compromised. I stopped by to request....to beg...your forgiveness in this manner."  
  
Easing into attention, Talania awaited her fate. She knew that such exposition in front of the lower-ranking officers was beyond bad judgment, yet her emotions had still overwhelmed her anyway. That incident needed closure before she went into battle against the human boy.  
  
Even though he was apparently human, her prey was as powerful as the most hated enemies of the Realm. Any enemy with power equal to those 5 human females was one that underestimating could well prove fatal.   
  
Nadia sat quietly, collecting her own thoughts before standing up and then...most unexpectedly...placed her hands upon Talania's shoulders. "There is nothing to forgive. In this time, we all are under great stress. And yes, while you should have controlled the timing of your...opinions...to one more suited for such passionate viewpoints, I would not be worthy of my rank by jailing my most capable field officer before her greatest mission."  
  
The words faded, and Talania nodded in her silent thanks to her commander as a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. The moment was broken however, when Nadia narrowed her eyes and looked directly at her junior officer.   
  
"But there will /not/ be a repeat, will there Captain?" said Nadia as her gaze seemed to peer into the other woman's soul.   
  
Talania blinked at the change of tone the conversation, but to her credit saluted almost immediately. "No ma'am!" she barked in perfect reply.   
  
Decorum had to be maintained after all.   
  
A few tense moments passed until Nadia was satisfied that the situation had been resolved. Relaxing slightly, the General looked at Talania for another long moment before choosing her words.   
  
"You're worried about the mission."  
  
If the Captain was surprised by her superior's statement, she hid it well. "I do have some concerns about the boy's power level General, but I would hesitate to call them 'worries'."  
  
Nodding in understanding, Nadia's look prompted Talania to continue.   
  
"This boy's power ranks among the highest life-force count ever seen in a human outside...them." Pausing, the woman could not help but feel a wave of revulsion caused by even acknowledging the existence of those who killed her sister. "I will be able to gain his life energy, but I am concerned that such a human might somehow be connected to our foes. If by draining him I draw /them/ into combat, what are my orders?"  
  
Nadia paused over this for a long moment before walking over to her window. With a quiet sweep she surveyed he half-darkened city before her. Here and there flickering lights showed those homes on the verge of loosing power and succumbing to the cold their world had in abundance. Mixed in upon those structures were others already darkened by energy depletion; empty monuments to families now long gone. Only a few remained brightly lit as in the days of old and those grew fewer with each passing day. It was only when the sight threatened to depress her further did the General turn away.   
  
"I have considered that same occurrence Captain; there may be some kind of link between humans of such power. However, the needs of our people is greater than any perceived threat of interference from our enemies. Drain the boy and return with his life energy. If our foes show, take what energy you have and return to Command. Even half of the boy's energy will be enough to do what must be done to save our Queen and quite possibly the Realm itself."  
  
Talania nodded, holding back the urge to request permission to attack should the Sa....should /they/ appear. It was so clear now; the reasoning that before had eluded her. Her sister was lost to those same enemies because she attacked in rage and anger, without a plan or strategy.   
  
She would not make those same mistakes.   
  
'I understand General. I will not fail."  
  
A small smile crossed Nadia's face  
  
"On /that/ Captain, I have no doubt."  
  
A chime suddenly cut through the room as the pair turned to view a monitor on the far wall. Flickers of gray and black ran up and down the screen until it finally cleared, showing the harried face of a Science Division member  
  
"What is it private?"  
  
Saluting, the young man visibly swallowed deeply, his jade-colored eyes betraying his nervousness. "My apologizes for bothering you General, but I was told to inform you that we shall be ready within one Earth standard hour."  
  
"Excellent Private..." praised the officer... "we shall be there soon..." and with that she closed the channel and turned towards Talania. "Are you ready Captain?"  
  
Talania nodded, then hesitantly pulled a small crystal from her pocket and held it out for her commander to see. "I am ready General. But...just in case..." she said softly as the crystal seemed to glimmer in the light of the room.   
  
Nadia had seen...and taken...such crystals before; each one with a heavier heart than the last. But someone had to carry out the last rites of a fallen comrade, and she had been chosen by Talania to be that person.   
  
With a simple nod she took the crystal, leaving Talania with little else to do but nod in appreciation. Then, as the moment passed, she addressed her commander.   
  
"General, with your permission, there are a few things I need to do before departing for Earth."  
  
"Of course Captain. Meet me at the command center in one Earth hour."  
  
Nodding at the order, Talania saluted and quietly exited the room, the door sliding shut.   
  
The room stood deadly quiet for a moment; more like a tomb than a place for the living. It was only then Nadia turned and walked quietly towards a far corner. With a wave of her arm over a hidden sensor, the corner suddenly slid upwards and apart, leaving a 4 ft gap which the General strolled through without a second thought.   
  
The hidden room wasn't very big, enough for one person at best. Solid black walls lined the room with a matching ceiling. The only object in the room was a single circular table, covered with a black cloth. On the top of the table was small holder upon which rested a softly pulsing orb no larger than a globe. Flickers of black, red, and purple swirled within as if searching for a way to escape into the world outside..   
  
It was then Nadia kneeled before the orb and saluted. "My Queen, the time is at hand. Soon we shall have the energy we need to free you from your eternal prison."  
  
The colors swirled more rapidly now, as if the object was able to understand Nadia's words. Black and red mixed as pulses of violet light escaped into the room.   
  
"I know, my Queen, you ache for release, but we must tread carefully! Our enemies...those that consigned you to this fate...still exist! You wait is but a short time more. On this I pledge my very life! But if we move too fast all could well be lost!"  
  
Again the orb flared, as if lashing out in a vain attempt to reach her hated foes. The colors inside swirled with hurricane force as the anger at being imprisoned slipped through her icy control. It was only after a few seconds the maelstrom of light faded and returned to normal.   
  
"Thank you, my Queen." Nadia gratefully said as she stood. With a final salute left the hidden room, the door again shutting behind her blending seamlessly into the wall . Looking at the time, the General clenched her fist as a dreadful smile crossed her lips.   
  
"Soon boy, your power shall belong to me and with it, our Great Queen will live once more! Then revenge-for all our defeats and those we have lost-shall be paid in full by our most hated foes!"  
  
With a dark laugh, Nadia departed her quarters and began the walk to the command center. That same dark smile stayed upon her lips as each step brought her that much closer to victory.   
  
At long last, the Negaverse would stand triumphant once more.   
  
  
( to be continued...)  
  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
1) I know this is a shorter chapter than I wanted to post, but I am having some trouble with the rest of it so I will post what I am most pleased with and continue to work on the next part as fast as I can! However, I work for Wal-Mart and with it getting closer to the holidays my free time will be shrinking. But I promise to keep going no matter what!  
2) I've been dropping clues as to who these 'other dimensional' foes are, and in this chapter I pretty much revealed it! I hoped you liked the twist and if you did, wait until the next chapter! (evil 'I know what's coming and you don't' grin). One of 'them' is coming and Matt's life will never be the same!  
3) Thanks for all the kind words and reviews! If you like the story please drop me a line or a review!   
Thanks!! Fortress 


	8. Of Crests and Planets Ch 7The Gathering ...

Of Crests and Planets  
  
Chapter 7: The Gathering Storm  
  
  
  
By: Fortress Maximus  
  
Authors Notes: I am sorry this took forever, but I am going to keep working on this story more I promise! And if you can correctly guess the show I based Matt's song off of the winner wins a short story penned by me with any two of their favorite characters! Please e-mail me in private with your guess! Hint: This league of heroes struck hard and fast...like lighting.   
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Chapter 8: The Gathering Storm  
  
Amy blinked as Matt seemed to retreat into memory as the song played on the jukebox. The look upon the young man's face could only be that of melancholy as each word rumbled through the air in the small restaurant. Only Mike's slightly whispered 'this is my favorite song!' was able to pull her away from thoughts about Matt's expression to the words being delivered as the song surged with a thunderous burst of musical lighting....   
  
~~There's a power that comes from deep inside of you.....~~  
  
~~And every day you're reaching for the light.......~~  
  
~~And you know there's a long, long way ahead of you....~~  
  
~~But your will can get you there---believe things will turn out right...!~~  
  
~~Just keep it burning, keep your will growing...the fire is yours....!!  
  
~~Keep your will Warrior!~~  
  
~~Hear the battle drums burning...~~  
  
~~The future is coming...~~  
  
~~The fire is yours...!~~  
  
~~Keep your will Warrior!~~  
  
The rest of the song slowly faded into the background as Amy's attention turned from the music towards the young man who's voice was still echoing throughout the restaurant. It seemed to the young woman that Matt was putting every ounce of emotion into each words as if they were forged by his very soul.   
  
"So what do you think Amy?' asked Mike as the song ended.   
  
Blinking, the young woman looked at her friend, than at Matt unable to recall the last few minutes with any clarity. As before in the theater she simply became lost in Matt's company.   
  
It was a new sensation both frightening and intriguing.   
  
"Oh, it was wonderful Mike! I can see why your so popular Matt..." she commented while turning towards her 'date'.   
  
Matt just looked at her for a long second, as if physically present but it was clear by the look in his eyes that mentally he was...elsewhere.   
  
"Matt..?"   
  
The young man jerked suddenly, as if snapping back to reality. He blinked, focusing on Amy for the first time in minutes. "Well, we try Amy. Doing it for the fans is part of what keeps us going..". And with that Matt flashed a brief but honest smile as he tried to put the emotions and memories brought up by the song back under control.   
  
It was a dark time in his little brothers' life as both T.K. and Kari had made the choice to enter the Digital World with the rest of their team and stop Ken once and for all. The mood at their strategy session was somber; as if they were planning their own funeral. Tai and the others of his team were there more out of moral support than actual help as this was not their fight; each knew that Davis and the others must find their own way to victory.   
  
But Matt was unable to sit there and simply watch without doing /something/ to help boost the sprits of those he called his friends. So after moving off to the side to think-and several scribbled pages later- 'Will Warrior' had been born.   
  
To this day he didn't know if his song had done a bit of good, but the smile on his brother's face at the end was more than enough reward.   
  
Amy watched as again Matt seemed to drift off mentally and the young woman was hesitant to bother him as it was clear the memories stirred up were indeed powerful ones.   
  
Mike grinned at the exchange. Despite his young age and apparent carefree attitude, the young chef knew all too well that something important was forming between these two. Something...special.   
  
Of course, a blind man at midnight during a lunar eclipse would see it too.   
  
Getting the feeling that old adage 'two's company but three's one too many..' was quickly becoming reverent, Mike reigned in his enthusiasm and went back to business as he turned back towards Matt.. "Oh, I meant to tell you that we're out of, well, a couple of things and we can't make your order Matt. Our supplier shorted us on our last order. Was there a second choice you might want to try...?"  
  
Mentally going through the menu in his head, Matt blinked as he remember something that grabbed his attention. "What's the soup of the day?"  
  
Mike check the list under his order pad and grinned... "Mock Turtle."  
  
"Uhmm...what's that taste like?"  
  
"Honestly?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"Like lumpy chicken noodle."  
  
Matt looked at the young mans' face for a long moment trying to decide if he was making a joke. Amy quietly stifled a laugh as she saw Mike's deadpan expression fall apart after a few seconds.   
  
Soon all three were laughing as the mood lightened slightly. After a few minutes the trio quieted down and Matt nodded in agreement. "Okay..I'll try that."  
  
"Gotcha. And that'll be on the house so don't worry."  
  
"You don't have to do that Mike..." answered Amy as she knew the boys were trying to make a profit by the end of the calendar year.   
  
"It's okay Amy. Besides, I doubt a cup of soup will break us." replied the young man with a grin.   
  
With a nod Amy let the matter drop as Matt did the same. It was only then Mike flashed a final grin and moved towards the kitchen. "I'll be back in just a few minutes..." and with that he rounded the corner and slipped into the kitchen.   
  
Silence once again started to fall over the pair as each shifted a bit under the weight of their non-conversation once more. Luckily, Amy remembered something she had wanted to ask Matt since finding out he was in a band.   
  
"Matt?"  
  
"Humm?"  
  
"What's it like to be in a band...?" she asked, both interested at the whole lifestyle and more than grateful to move the conversation away from her. Besides, curiosity to find out more about the young man was starting to get the better of her.   
  
Soon she would know more than ever dreamed.   
  
  
  
"Got any eight's?"  
  
"Go fish."  
  
Resisting the urge to grumble, Gomamon drew another card-which helped him about as well as his past three guesses.   
  
Palamon smiled as she could tell by the look on his face that the card only added to his growing collection held rather oddly between his front paws. Despite his many skills, having a poker face wasn't one of them.   
  
With a smile in her voice the Digimon glance over at her friend. "How about you Gabumon? Any jacks?" she asked before taking a bite of the kelp and watercress sandwich that Sora's mother had made.   
  
A moment passed...then another...before Gabumon blinked and pulled himself back the present. It was clear the Digimon's mind wasn't on the game. "I'm sorry. What has the question?"...he asked, a slight tint upon his cheeks as he lost track of the game for the second time that night.   
  
"I asked if you have any jacks Gabumon, but maybe I should ask if you're okay..." Palamon answered, setting both her dinner and cards down to look at him. Even Biyomon turned from stoking the small fire and watched what was going on.   
  
A few of the others followed suit as they all had noticed Gabumon uncharacteristic lack of concentration, but hadn't want to pry into the Digimon's affairs. However, with the question asked they all looked over at their friend and listened.   
  
Gabumon shifted slightly, unaccustomed to all the attention he was receiving. Like his partner, he liked being quiet and listening to others as they talked and debated. Only when a point was misconstrued or not realized at all did he...or Matt...feel the need to speak up. But he /had/ brought the happy mood of the group down somewhat so they deserved some sort of apology if not an actual explanation.   
  
"I'm sorry but my mind just isn't on the game tonight. Why don't you deal me out of the next few hands while I take a walk...?" suggest the fur-covered dinosaur Digimon for lack of a more creative argument.   
  
"But Gabumon..." buzzed Tentamon as the insect Digimon hovered a bit closer..."the pot has over three bags of gummy bears, two lollipops and piece of triple fudge chocolate cake!"   
  
The group looked at the more-than-tasty pile of winnings as they had been using candy and baked goods to bet with. The winner of this current round of 'go fish' would received an incredible sugar rush.   
  
Gabumon looked at the assorted candies and snacks for a second before shaking his head and slid off the stump he was using for chair. "Go ahead and add my candy to the pot. I don't mind..." he decided, trying to reassure the others as he stretched slightly and started to move away from the table.   
  
"Would you like some company Gabumon?" asked Biyomon as she glanced over at him, her own hand not really worth much towards winning /that/ collection of goodies and it looked like he could use someone to talk too.   
  
"I'll be find Biyomon, but thank you..." replied Gabumon as the Digimon started to walk down a small trail leading out into the lot.   
  
"You sure you'll be okay?" whispered Agumon, clearly worried about his friend.   
  
"I'll be fine..." he repeated before lowering his own voice..."but if you win, can you save me some gummy bears?"   
  
With a grin and a nod, the orange Digimon pulled away and went back to the game, a silent suggestion that all of them took to heart and let Gabumon be.   
  
With the matter settled, Gabumon walked into the overgrown thickets of small trees and weeds and disappeared from sight.   
  
"I wonder what's eating him...?" mused Gomamon as he again drew another worthless card.   
  
"He's worried about Gatomon."  
  
Blinking, each Digimon turned and stared at the small brown and white Patamon as he looked up from the cards held by his two tiny front hooves.   
  
  
  
"He's...what...?" asked Biyomon carefully.   
  
Sighing at his inadvertent slip of the tongue Patamon set his cards down and looked at the assembled Digimon. "Well, doesn't anyone else find it odd that as soon as we got here Gatomon took off on her own?"  
  
The others looked at each other, then towards Patamon as it was Gomamon who spoke up first. "Well, it's not like we didn't notice Patamon; she's been moody ever since we got back from the Digital World. But you know she gets like that from time to time. If she needs us we'll be there no question!"  
  
"Gabumon knows this too Patamon..." pointed out Agumon. "So what's makes you think he's worried about her? He just went for a walk..."  
  
It was then Patamon gave a small smirk towards his friend as he replied. "Down the same path Gatomon took?"  
  
A quiet silence surrounded the small clearing as this small fact was pointed out. Looks were exchanged and with a group shrug the assembled Digimon slipped back onto their makeshift stools and picked up their cards. They knew when to leave well enough alone and let their friends be for now.   
  
"So Tentamon, got any threes?" asked Gomamon, knowing for sure his luck was about to turn.   
  
"Go fish."  
  
Biyomon stifled a laugh as Gomomon drew another card.   
  
The lot wasn't very big; maybe an acre or two at best. But size was less important than coverage, and in that respect the overgrown wooded area excelled in. Only several blocks from Highenview Terrace, this raggled, tangled mess of trees, rocks and assorted weeds served as a haven for the Digimon who had chosen to live on Earth.   
  
As out of place as geologically possible, the lot had been passed over for years despite the increasing businesses that surrounded the sprawling apartment complex. Although it was, location-wise a great spot, the results of a dozen different tests showed the ground was not stable enough for a building of any decent size, and would eventually begin to shows signs of sinking. For years it had poked, tested and otherwise taunted as a 'prime building site' but eventually the owner, apparently needing to unload the property, sold it to a private citizens group a few months ago.   
  
A private group that was, in reality, the parents and guardians of the DigiDestined.   
  
Long ago, not long after the defeat of MaloMyotismon, the parents had met in secret and helped each other come to terms with each children's' special destiny. Knowing that their lives would be forever a game of good against evil, each parent decided to donate what money they could to try and create a safe place for their sons and daughters' Digimon partners.   
  
Knowing that the creatures from another dimension were key to safeguarding the kids, the assembled parents felt that if the Digimon had a place to go and relax, free from the worry of discovery, that they would be in better shape to protect the children. Each knew full well that they could not protect these special children from the incredible burden fate had placed upon them. But, if they could at least lighten that burden from time to time; well, perhaps that would help in some small manner.   
  
The small path twisted and wound for maybe two hundred feet and came to a small cliff. Well, 'cliff' would be a gross understatement; 'ledge' would work just as well.   
  
Despite this lot being vacant, the one bordering the back of the acreage was more than stable enough to build a small shopping center with a half-dozen stores. The back of the complex faced the Digimon refuge and after the center was built, the large dumping gully that had been created for waste rock and foliage remained. It was upon this bleak, ravaged landscape that Gabumon found Gatomon looking into space.   
  
Standing there quietly, Gabumon began to rethink his plan. It was clear the feline was feeling no better and his presence might only hasten her slide into a worse mood.   
  
Torn between helping or not helping, Gabumon finally turned and began to walk away, deciding that perhaps solitude was the best thing for his friend.   
  
"Something wrong Gabumon?" came the query from behind him, tinted with a bit more exasperation than she meant to imply.   
  
"I thought..." he began, pausing only to choose his words carefully..."I thought you might feel better if you had someone to talk too.." he quietly admitted, figuring the truth was less painful to them both than a well-meaning but transparent lie.   
  
Gatomon said nothing for a long second before glancing over her shoulder. "It's not something you can help with Gabumon." is all she said, turning back towards the stars.   
  
The Digimon felt his fur bristle despite his best efforts to the contrary as Gatomon dismissed his concern without so much as a 'thank you'. A bile-laced reply entered his mind, but quickly shoved such thoughts aside. After looking at her for a moment longer, he decided on a new course of action.   
  
"You did what you had to do Gatomon. There's no need to punish yourself further."  
  
If she was surprised by the statement, there was no outward sign as Gatomon kept looking above into the night sky.  
  
Hesitant at first, Gabumon took another step forwards, then a second, until he was only a few feet away from the pensive Digimon.   
  
"You had to destroy him Gatomon. You had no choice."  
  
Turning, the feline looked at him with surprise-filled eyes as her secret shame was apparently common knowledge by now.   
  
Holding up a paw, Gabumon tried to ease her shock. "I'm the only one who knows Gatomon...well, outside Kari of course..." he quietly admitted.   
  
Turning back around, Gatomon shifted her view from the stars above to the jagged mess below at the bottom of the ravine.   
  
"How?" was her only response.   
  
"I heard him scream Gatomon. And that, plus the look on your face as you came up that hill..." .   
  
"You saw the orb Gattaimon was carrying didn't you?" she asked, and saw him nod his head as she turned around fully this time.   
  
"I saw the orb, and I saw it roll down the hill. I also saw you go after it."  
  
"Why didn't you stop me?" she asked bluntly.   
  
Gabumon didn't flinch. "One, Matt was nearly unconscious and two, it was your choice. Besides..." and it was then he paused.   
  
"Because....?"  
  
"I know what it's like to do something wrong, know it's wrong, and still do it anyway. I also know firsthand what kind of guilt that can lead to." I also know that no matter what I would-or could-have said, you still knew what was bound to happen.  
  
Gatomon paused, looking away for a moment in thought until she remember the incident her friend was referring to. "Your fight with Agumon after Cherrymon convinced Matt to face down Tai in a fight..."  
  
It was Gabumon's turn to look away, trying to ignore the flood of memories that name brought back. To this day he could remember each punch, every kick of that fight. Not a day passes that he looked at Agumon and wondered how the orange Digimon ever forgave him for what he did. How could he when he couldn't forgive himself?  
  
  
  
"I did that because Matt needed me by his side. I knew fighting War Greymon was wrong, but if it helped my partner and friend I would do it no matter what." It was then he turned back towards the feline..."It was just like what you did Gatomon. You knew that Myotismon would eventually come back, and you did what you had too so Kari and the rest would be safe from him forever."  
  
Gatomon stayed silent for a long moment before turning and walking along the edge of the hilltop. Only when she could go no further did the Digimon finally turn and look at him. "I...know that...Gabumon. But..I...it's...".   
  
For the first time since he had met her, Gabumon could not recall the confident feline being unable to express herself. He wanted to help stop her uncertainty, but pushing too hard might force her emotions back into hiding.   
  
Gatomon looked at the stars once more, trying to find the words to express the mixed emotion running through her mind and heart. She knew Gabumon wanted to help, and she secretly welcomed his friendship. But that part of her from the days of old-the lone Digimon who needed nothing and no one-was still alive in the very core of her soul. It was that part of her seeking to keep hidden the true reason of her fears.   
  
"I keep thinking...keep playing it over and over in my mind Gabumon! I know I did...what I had to! I know...I had to keep Kari safe! But I...I don't..." and it was then she looked at him with eyes full of the one emotion he would never have believed possible: terror.   
  
Realizing that he could no longer play it safe, Gabumon gently grasped the shoulders of the upset feline and looked her straight in the eyes. "What is it Gatomon? What don't you want to happen?!"  
  
"I don't want to wind up in the Dark, Gabumon!" cried out white furred Digimon as her innermost fear stood revealed. "I don't want to spend forever alone.....!"  
  
To be Continued......(I promise, it will be continued!!) 


	9. Crests & Planets Ch8 Hostages to Destiny

Of Crests and Planets

Chapter 9: Hostages to Destiny

By: FortressMaximus

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Authors Notes:

Dear God. It's been 5 YEARS since I updated this story! I should be shot. Really-I should! But it would be a waste of buckshot trust me. Suffice it to say I'm sorry and I hope you enjoy this little chapter! More to come sooner or later (and I'll try to make it the former this time around!)

FortressMaximus December 15th 2008

AN2-Light swear warning from Matt in this chapter.

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The rest of their time together passed quickly for Matt and Amy, the last of the meal consumed at a leisurely pace. It wasn't until a casual glance at the clock showed it to be nearly four in the morning did the teens realize how long they had been in the restaurant.

With a rapid flurry of light panic, the dinner was paid for and good-bye's exchanged as the pair departed, Matt offering to get Amy home as quick as possible to avoid the young woman getting more trouble than she might already be in.

The cool morning air made Amy's skin shiver as even at slower speeds the wind chill created on Matt's motorcycle was greater than the thickness of her jacket. But the discomfort only registered slightly in the young woman's mind as most of her mental faculties were focused on her companion and the odd feelings his presence created.

Matt himself barely noticed the morning chill as he focused on the unfamiliar road, taking great care to keep his speed down so as to not risk hurting his passenger with a stupid mistake. But even with his focus on driving, his inner thoughts kept returning to the odd turn of events that had brought him into meeting Amy in the first place.

One right turn later, Matt guided his motorcycle down the small dirt road that would serve as a great shortcut, shaving several minutes off their travel time. It was then he blinked suddenly as Amy's arms tightened their hold upon his midsection as the young man completed the turn and straightened the vehicle,. Trying to ignore the feelings her grasp was creating, Matt tried to tune out everything else and focus on driving.

It was then Amy's entire body went rigid, a dark chill from the past racing down her spine. With a startled lurch back to reality, the young woman looked around, eyes wide in shock as the feeling was as unwanted as it was unexpected.

**NOT NOW!!** her mind screamed as she tried to find the source of the Dark Energy, but it was too late.

The road scant feet in front of them exploded, sending the front tire into a shower of rubber and metal as Matt's face went wide with horror. Knowing he only had a fraction of a second, the teen angled what was left of the front assembly so as to reduce as much momentum as possible before the pair was violently tossed to the ground. Landing hard on the dirt shoulder, Matt rolled with the momentum as best he could while desperately trying to bring himself to a stop. Amy's well honed instincts kicked in and she too rolled with the impact long enough until the ditch stopped her tumble.

Long seconds passed as both teens tried to get to their feet, each one searching frantically for the other. "Amy...!" painfully called out Matt as he clutched at his left arm, a serious sprain the least of his worries as he tried to focus through tear-filled eyes and find his companion. "Amy....where are you..?!"

"Ma...Matt....over here..." she softly replied, her body still too distressed as she unsuccessfully tried to get up on her own. As Matt knelt down and tossed the helmet aside, Amy looked at him with concern. "Are...you okay?"

With a nod Matt slowly helped the young woman to her feet as his worried gaze fell upon her. "I'm fine. But are /you/ okay?" he asked hurriedly, checking where possible for deep cuts or other signs of trauma.

"I'm fine Matt. Just a little..shaken up..." she admitted.

"God, I am /so/ sorry Amy!" he said, the self-loathing in his voice clear as the early morning sky above them. "I don't know what happened! I know the tires were in perfect shape..." he tries to explain, obvious he was going to put the blame on himself.

"It's wasn't you Matt..." she whispered softly as she glanced around, trying to determine where their foe was. The dark energy chilled her bones to the core but it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"Huh?"

"She is correct, young man..." came a voice from thin air as Talania appeared with a shimmer, the Cloaking Crystal deactivating the light bending field around her. "How she knows that is an interesting question, but unimportant as we have seen many humans with a sense of precognition. Suffice it to say that you may go to your end knowing that your final actions saved your girlfriend's life.

"She wouldn't have needed saving if you-whoever you are-had attacked me!" Matt countered, his anger growing at the thought of Amy being hurt while missing the remark that he was her boyfriend. "What do you want?" he demanded, fists balling up in reflex.

"Simply put, your life boy. Or rather, your life energy; with it I can save countless lives and bring our glorious Queen back to life!"

Amy's mind threatened to lock up at the mental image at the woman's boast coming true. **NO!** her minds eye cried out as the thought of it happening all over again was too painful to even consider.

A hint of motion pulled the blue-haired warrior back to the situation at hand as Matt moved protectively in front of her. "Amy...run." he whispered, clear that he wasn't about to trust the apparently insane woman. "I'll distract her so you can get away....".

"I can't just leave you!" she whispered back, her tone hardening as it became clear that Matt was going to try to protect her without knowing what he was really up against.

"Do not worry young man. I have no interest in the girl. Give yourself to me, and I will spare her life."

"And if I refuse?" he countered, his eyes never leaving the dark figure as he tried to stall for time to think of a way to save them both. **And WHY do I keep attracting these nutcases!?**

Talaina eyes narrowed as she cast her hand towards the pair, the anger flashing along her face. "Then she will die!" and with the slightest gesture waves of dark energy lanced out, missing Mat but engulfing Amy in bands of ebony agony.

"Amy...no!"

The world began to spin out of control as Amy fell to her knees, gasping as she could feel the energy seep from her body. Her right hand had been posed near the small of her back as if she had been reaching for something, but the energy field made any movement impossible. But just as suddenly as she was attacked, it ended and she collapsed to her knees, grasping at the soft ground as the woman clenched her fist ending the demonstration.

"I take it my point has been made?" said Talania without a single hint of remorse. "I do not wish to kill her, for she is innocent in all of this. But mark my words boy; unless you surrender to me now, she will die for your stubbornness- THAT I promise!"

Matt could only stand there, the fury at being attacked by someone for an unknown purpose nothing compared to the anger he felt at Amy being threatened just because she was with him. **Damm it! It's not fair! Come on Ishida...think! There's got to be a way to protect Am....**

It was then he felt it once more; the 'click' in his minds eye as a crystal clear clarity washed over him. With eyes narrowed he superimposed himself in front of Amy as a soft, warm glow began to radiate from his body.

"No."

Talania gasped softly as her own enhanced senses detected the sudden buildup of power. **What is this?! His life force-his entire energy matrix-it's rising..NO..it's doubling...tripling!" she thought, floating back in reflex from the surge of power swelling within the young human.

Amy felt it too; but unlike the Dark Energy she had sensed earlier this was a warm, welcoming power-as if it was reaching out to protect them both. She watched in awe as the energy formed around Matt, making his hair stand on end as the power surged exponentially. **I don't know what's going on, but I have to stop this now!** and with a practiced gesture she started to slip her hand behind her back once more, knowing to stop the oncoming battle would reveal her greatest secret.

Yet given the choice to either save her secret and lose Matt or protect him at the cost of revelation, the young woman found she truly had no choice at all.

**NO! I must stop him now, before he unleashes that power!** Talania thought as she lashed out with her own ability, dark tendrils surging from her palms towards the two teens. "You will die here boy! For the greater glory of the Ne..."

Any more of her threat was lost in a symphony of light and sound as her energy and the field around Matt collided. The boy growled as he planted his feet firmly on the ground but Amy was sent staggering back, the gold and blue object bouncing out of her palm and now out of reach.

"You think you're hot shit when threatening plain old humans don't you BITCH!" shouted the young man as a bubble of protection formed around him and Amy, cutting the young woman off from her much-needed pen. "But let's see how powerful you REALLY are when you face off against the DigiDestined!"

"SHIELD"  
"OF"  
"FRIENDSHIP!"

Once more, the digital power buried deep in Matt's DNA erupted forth, shining like the Aurora Borealis as the it lashed out, pure white energy turning back the dark appendages sent forth by Talania.

As the new struggle between Light and Dark began once more, one could almost hear each teens' hopes for a normal life being carried away on the winds of Fate.

Staring in pure shock at the power from the young man, Amy could only stand frozen in a mix of awe and terror as one thought alone echoed through her stunned mind...

**Matt Ishidia...who..or what... ARE you!?**

(To be Continued...)


End file.
